Tonight's My Eternity
by Tainted Dreams 03
Summary: AU: Life's never really been fair for Uchiha Sasuke. But when faced with love, his sickness pushes it all away. SasuNaru.
1. A Tutor

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto and all its other characters... Although I wish I did... T.T

**Hey- this is a repost! I hope you like this version better! **

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**CHAPTER 1 : A Tutor!**

The morning sun rose slowly shedding light through the darkened world. If one would take time to stare, they'd get caught in the serene beauty of the morning. Morning dew fell from leaves. Birds happily sang while –

"SHIT!" Uzumaki Naruto, fell out of his bed successfully ridding sleep off his eyes. "I'm going to be late, damn it!" Quickly detangling himself from the covers that somehow snaked its way around his leg, Naruto swiftly made his way to the bathroom.

After completing his hurried bath, he looked himself over at the mirror. His blond hair was messy and untamed, nicely framing his tanned face that contrasted against his large blue eyes. Those blue eyes held such a bright glow, always cheery blending beautifully with the clear skies. His school uniform **(1) **clung loosely around his thin frame, looking almost saggy.

"Whatever…" He said frustrated as he fought a losing battle against his unruly hair. Placing the comb back on its container, he looked himself over and rushed off to school.

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In another part of the city, a certain dark haired boy awoke from his light slumber. It was still dark out; the suns rays still not managing to shed light on the dark world. Outside, there was utter silence, occasionally disrupted by passing cars.

'_Just another day'_ he thought to himself. Getting up from his large queen sized bed; he gazed at the digital clock beside him. _'4:01am'_ it said with light red oversized numbers. He walked through his large dark room passing by the shadows that loomed in the corners. He made his way to the bathroom, wincing a little as the cold marbled floor met his feet.

Removing his clothing, he took a shower, making sure to not miss any part of his toned body. Rubbing the excess water off his hair and body, he dressed himself and glanced over to the mirror. People- (particularly the female population) would instantly describe him as sexy, handsome, good-looking, etc, with just one glance; but all he saw was his dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin.

He was no man for social gatherings nor did he like associating himself with other people. He was often cold, monotonous and stoic around others- yet these characteristics drew more and more people to gaze up at him. How the human mind worked, he did not know.

Concluding himself presentable, he headed downstairs making his way down the grand staircase. He entered their kitchen where his brother was seated on the breakfast nook reading the morning paper. The coffee placed in front of him sent a wonderful 'café-like' aroma in the air.

"Morning Sasuke." Itachi looked up to see his brother's blank expression.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement as their gazes met. Grabbing bread from its container, he put two slices in the toaster and waited for it.

Itachi watched Sasuke from the corner of his eyes.

As soon as the bread was ready, Sasuke sat across his brother and started munching on his breakfast. And so, the silence that always seemed to be present in the Uchiha mansion proceeded to make its presence noticed.

After Sasuke finished with his food and Itachi with his paper, the siblings left their mansion and proceeded to Itachi's black sports car **(2). **The ten-minute drive was spent in utter silence. Upon reaching Konoha High school, Itachi stopped the car and Sasuke made his way out.

"Be nice Sasuke" Itachi said with a smirk. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke slammed the door, not bothering to reply as Itachi sped off to work.

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"Late _(munch)_ again _(munch, munch, munch_)?" Chouji asked while continuously stuffing his face with potato chips.

"How troublesome" Shikamaru sighed looking up at the clouds.

"Dude… ever heard of an alarm clock? It's not that expensive ya know!" Kiba shook his head at his blond friend who was desperately trying to catch his breath.

The three had been waiting for Naruto for almost an hour now. Every morning, would be the same scenario. The blond would run up to the school gates, panting and sweating due to a hurried attempt to make it on school grounds before the gates closed. And every morning he'd just rub the back of his head and smile sheepishly while his three friends waited for his arrival. It was like an unwritten ritual between the four of them.

"Good _(munch)_ thing you _(munch)_ managed to make it _(munch) (munch)_ on time! Iruka Sensei would've blown a fuse again!"

Naruto snickered at the idea of his sensei angry… _'mother hen of the year'_ he thought to himself amused.

You see, Iruka was Naruto's teacher and guardian. Iruka had taken care of Naruto ever since the second grade when Iruka first discovered Naruto was orphaned. It had been a very exhausting task to take care of the blond bundle of energy, but every drop of sweat was worth it. Naruto had rubbed off on Iruka so much that Iruka had considered Naruto as his younger brother or son even.

Naruto smiled at the fond memories of Iruka and him bickering. Suppressing a soft chuckle, he made his way over to his classroom with his three friends.

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The day proceeded without event and as soon as the bell rang, Naruto was almost crying due to boredom. The second clock seemed to drag itself as if climbing the world's steepest hill. Teachers lectured on and on as if preparing to teach for centuries. Soon, Naruto had managed to imagine his teachers in the weirdest scenarios; scenarios ranging from untimely deaths to clown uniforms.

"Damn it! Why the hell do these people give so much homework?" Naruto sighed and proceeded to stuff his bag with random papers not bothering whether they crumpled or ripped.

"It's not like you ever do any of that shit!" Kiba stated matter-of-factly as he eyed the way Naruto huffed and puffed as he stuffed his bag in amusement.

"Well neither do you ass!" Naruto stuck his tongue out earning a light whack on the head from Kiba.

"Will you hurry? You two are so troublesome!" Shikamaru sighed grumbling about troublesome idiotic friends.

"Naruto!"

Four heads turned to the direction of the voice.

"Na-nani Iruka Sensei?" Four pairs of eyes stared at a single pair in fear.

"I need to speak with you. Kindly stay for a while."

"I-Iruka Sensei! I didn't do it! I swear! The marker wasn't even permanent! I swear I had nothing to do with it!"

Iruka along with three of Naruto's friends sweat dropped. Kiba hit the back of Naruto's head. "ITAI! What the hell was that for?"

"You moron! How obvious can you get?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and being one with great comebacks, he stuck his tongue out.

"I don't even want to ask what you did Naruto…" Iruka sighed. _'Even if this baka is like a brother to me… sometimes…. Just sometimes I have to wonder what happened to that defected brain of his.'_

Chouji, Kiba and Shikamaru left promising to wait for Naruto beside the school gates, also secretly adding a prayer for Naruto's safety- if the blond idiot were to piss Iruka more.

Back in the classroom, Naruto made himself comfortable on one of the chairs.

"What is it you wanted to talk about Iruka sensei?"

Iruka eyed Naruto wearily as if in deep thought. "Naruto, I've noticed your grades were slipping…" _Not that they weren't bad before_ Iruka mentally added in amusement.

"Yah, yah! I'll fix that…" Naruto grumbled.

It's not that Naruto was dumb… Well… Or so Iruka thought he wasn't… It's just that the blond will not and would not study- no matter what you did. Whether you threatened to kill or torture the idiot (not that Iruka tried- he only presumed so) the blond would refuse to even glance at his notes. Iruka shook his head in displeasure. Naruto's notebooks were probably blanketed by ancient dirt and layers and layers of cobwebs.

"Naruto… I'm serious." Iruka's voice now serious caught the boy's attention. "If you don't start doing better… you might have to repeat the year."

"N-NANI! REPEAT THE YEAR!"

Like hell Naruto would repeat second year. He had already managed to make it half the second year- he was not about to go through that again!

"Hai… That's why I will be assigning you a tutor…"

"A tutor?" Naruto did not like that idea. He didn't like it at all_. 'What kind of freak is he gonna pair me up with!'_ he thought while imagining some nerd with buck teeth and thick glasses- the stereotypical nerd...

And as if on cue the door to room 2E opened.

"Ah! Uchiha… you're just in time!"

**TBC**

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**AN: This is my first fan fic ever! Please rate! Tell me what you think and… stuff! HEHE! I'm sorry if it's not that good but I'll try to improve when I do the next chapters! (if you guys want there to be another chapter? -.-) Please Review! THANKS! **

**I'm not sure what they're called… the male uniforms that are all black and have that semi high collar thing… Long sleeved one… ' those are hot…. Heeehee**

**sori! I'm not familiar with cars so just imagine some black expensive sports car or whatever you want!**


	2. Frustration Begins

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Mending the Pieces**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Naruto…**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. Hehe! (-.-)**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 2: Frustration Begins!**

"Ah! Uchiha… you're just in time!"

Sasuke nodded and made his way to the empty chair beside Naruto. To say that Naruto was shocked would be the understatement of the year. He was beyond shocked. He expected someone more along the lines of "geek" or "nerd"… Not someone… Someone so… beautiful. 'What the hell am I thinking!' Naruto shook his head and sighed. 'Today's just not my day.'

"Naruto… This is Uchiha Sasuke. He will be your tutor." Iruka smiled at Naruto's cranky face.

"Yeah… yeah… nice to meet you…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Dobe"

Not expecting that reply Naruto abruptly stood from his seat and pointed an accusing finger at the dark haired boy seated next to him. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING DOBE, MORON?"

"…" Not even bothering to look at the fuming blond next to him, Sasuke smirked.

"WHAT THE HELL! CAN'T YOU SPEAK!"

"Hn. I think you know very well I can Usuratonkachi."

Iruka's sweat dropped. "Boys… Please do try to get along… and Naruto, sit down!"

"But Iruka Sensei!" Naruto whined. "THAT BASTARD'S SUCH A PRICK!"

"Did I hurt you're feelings, Uzumaki?" another smirk formed on the pale face of Sasuke.

"TEME!" Not managing to add to his "insult" Naruto did the most mature thing he could think of. He stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed. 'gods… why the hell did he agree to tutoring this loud-mouthed idiot!'

**----------------------FLASHBACK---------------------------**

Sasuke was getting ready to leave English class when his English teacher, Kakashi stopped him.

"Sasuke… I need you to do me a favor."

"No."

"Ma… Sasuke… You hurt my feelings." Faking a hurt expression Kakashi continued. "I need you to tutor someone for me."

"No."

"Aww… come on Sasuke… do it for your dear Sensei."

"For you or for Iruka Sensei? And my answer is still no." Slightly amused at the embarrassment written all over his Sensei's face Sasuke began to walk away.

Rumor around school was that the two were dating. And judging by the slight pink on Kakashi's cheeks, Sasuke concluded the rumor to be true.

"I'll fail you." Came a bored reply.

Sasuke stopped at his tracks. 'What the hell! Was he serious!' He turned around to face Kakashi who had an evil glow on his usually bored eyes. He glared at his teacher. A killing aura could be felt swirling about the Uchiha's body.

"Consider this as a project. If Naruto doesn't improve on his grades… I'll deduct points from your average." For a moment, Sasuke thought his Sensei was playing a cruel joke on him…A very cruel joke indeed. (And… were teachers even aloud to blackmail their students like this!) Uzumaki Naruto was the "number-one-loud-mouthed baka" in the whole school. He never took any of his subjects seriously and was one of the troublemakers in school… How the hell could anyone teach such a thick-headed idiot anything? This had to be some cruel, cruel joke. He glanced at his Sensei's serious face. 'Shit.'

**-------------------END OF FLASHBACK ------------------------------**

"Now, now you two… I suggest you both get along since you two will be working together for a while." Iruka smiled nervously at both of their exasperated faces. These two have only met just now and yet they looked as if they wanted to kill each other. 'Kami-sama! Please maintain the peace on earth!'

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto was stomping his way towards the gates where his friends said they'd meet him when a familiar voice stopped him from his tracks.

"Uzumaki."

Turning around, blue eyes met black. "What the hell do you want TEME!"

"Your place at five tomorrow."

"N-nani?" Naruto cocked his head to the side. What on earth was that damned Uchiha talking about!

"Usuratonkachi! Is you're memory span that short or are you that stupid? I'm tutoring you remember?"

"BASTARD! I know that! But why the heck does it have to be my place!"

Sasuke began to walk away. Without glancing at Naruto, he stated, "Your place at five Uzumaki."

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Stupid arrogant asshole! Who does that teme think he is! He's such a stupid, stingy, pricky…" Naruto's ranting was cut off by Kiba's voice.

"Naruto! It's about time! What took you so long?"

"Yeah… (munch) and what (munch) (munch) did Iruka Sensei want?" Chouji asked digging into a plastic bag for another potato chip.

"Iruka Sensei said I needed a tutor." Naruto said frustration written in his usually happy face.

"A TUTOR!" Kiba began to laugh. "Like that'll work!"

"What's wrong with having someone tutor you? It could do you good you know." Shikamaru said after noticing Naruto's obvious irritation.

"It's not the whole tutoring thing that's bothering me… It's who it is!"

"Who is it then?" Chouji asked.

"THAT BASTART SASUKE!"

At that Kiba started laughing uncontrollably. "Off all (hahaha) the people in (snort) school (haha) you had to get that (pant, pant… HAHAHAHA) ice prince!"

"How troublesome…" It was meant to sound sympathetic but even Shikamuru who usually didn't give a damn, couldn't hide the amusement in his eyes.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Sasuke was not happy. He wasn't happy at all. 'Kami-sama!' Kicking a rock away from its path, he sighed a frustrated sigh. The god's were against him. 'Someone up there must really hate me'. He began to walk home again.

'Good thing I managed to ask Kakashi Sensei where that baka lives. I bet Naruto would've given me the wrong address if I asked him.'

At remembering the cause of all his aggravation, Sasuke grit his teeth. Sasuke then heard footsteps from behind. He turned around. 'Oh, look who it is!' Sasuke thought with much sarcasm.

"Sasuke! How did your meeting go with Iruka?" Kakashi smiled at his student, his one visible eye arching. **(AN: hmmm… Kakashi's face is still in that mask thingy he wears but instead of a head protector maybe an eye patch or something… dunoo… hehe!)**

'I hate you.' Not voicing out his thoughts, Sasuke just glared.

"Oh? It went well?" Kakashi tried to keep a serious face but failed to keep his face straight.

'I really hate you.' Sasuke's glare intensified. His teacher was playing with him and he didn't like being played with!

"Well… I was going to ask someone else to tutor Naruto but since you aren't complaining I take it things turned out fine. I knew you'd see it my way! Well… JA!"

Sasuke's glare was almost enough to burn holes at the back of Kakashi's head.

**TBC…**

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**AN: Yay! Another chappie done! Oh yeah! Thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy! HEEHEE! It's my first fanfic ever so don't get mad if I do something wrong! I'm sorry if you don't like it- but than again… if you don't like it, don't read! Nyaha! ) And oh yeah... Sasuke's tuturing Naruto in math! Sorry... I forgot to include that! **

**-----Please continue to review! I'll answer all your questions if you have any I'll try to include all your suggestions and to improve my story too!**

**Again! Thank you to the people who reviewed! **


	3. Lesson 1: Testing Ones Patience

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Must I go through this every time? I don't own Naruto…**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. (-.-)**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 3: Lesson One: Testing One's Patience**

"Uzumaki!"

_Silence._

"Uzumaki!"

_Outside a dog barked._

"UZUMAKI!"

"HEH!" Naruto jolted up from his chair.

"Now that I FINALLY have you're attention… Kindly answer the question on the board." Iruka's patience grew to non-existence once he spotted our beloved Naruto snoozing with drool making its way out of his mouth.

Taken aback by the irritation in Iruka's voice Naruto stood up, "N-Nani?"

"Answer the question on the board…now Uzumaki!" Knowing better than to test Iruka's temper, Naruto made his way towards the blackboard where an equation was written.

Somewhere in the back, Naruto could hear Kiba snickering. 'How supportive…' Naruto thought with sarcasm.

Naruto studied the equation and turned to Iruka "A-ano… Iruka Sensei"

"Answer. Now." Iruka's voice was stern.

Naruto once again faced the board. 'What the hell? What's up with all these letters! How are you supposed to add letters?' Naruto studied the question written on the board, 'Find the value of x'. He thought… He stared… He just stood there.

"Uhhh…"

Iruka gave out an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you Naruto?"

"Pass me?" At that, Iruka whacked Naruto on the head.

"That you have to do on your own Uzumaki!"

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Your hopeless you know that?" Kiba shook his head in disapproval.

"Shaddap! There was no way anyone coulda solved that!" Naruto retorted

"Actually… That was a review on last week's lesson." Chouji said while opening a bag of chips.

Naruto tried to recall his lessons during math. He placed his fingers on his chin and thought. "… It was?"

Kiba started to laugh at Naruto's obvious lack of attention.

"You really are a hopeless case Naruto" Shikamaru said rolling his eyes at his friend.

Naruto's mood during the morning was great. He was smiling, laughing and joking around with his friends. But as the clock neared the end of the day, his mood grew sour. 'I'm going to see that Teme today, damn it.' Suddenly the bell rang signaling dismissal time.

"FREEDOM!" Kiba hollered.

Naruto groaned. Another step closer to his meeting with the bastard

**-----------------------Time skip--------------------------**

Naruto was completing his English paper when there was a knock on the door. He knew who it was so he remained where he was not even budging a bit. Another knock.

'You can rot outside of my apartment for all I care' Naruto thought.

_Knock. Knock. _

'I am so not opening the door.'

"Uzumaki. Open the door." Came the irritated voice of a certain Uchiha.

"Go away. There's no one home."

At that, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Uzumaki, if you don't open the door, than I will."

"Psshhhh… I'd like to see you try Teme!"

There was a faint noise and a click. The door opened and Naruto spun around surprise evident on his face. "What the hell!"

Sasuke smirked and held out a key. "Courtesy of Iruka Sensei, Dobe."

Naruto couldn't help but bang his forehead on the table. 'Why me!'

Sasuke looked around Naruto's small apartment. It was messy and had ramen cups littered about. The kitchen and living room were connected and there were only two doors. One leading to Naruto's room and one most likely for the bathroom. All in all, the apartment was cluttered but had a homey feel to it.

"Hn. Let's start. Where's your math book?"

Naruto pointed to a pile of books stacked messily on the corner. Sasuke grabbed it and sat opposite of Naruto.

Sasuke handed Naruto a set of worksheets. "Answer these."

"What are those for?" Naruto asked eyeing the papers with distaste.

"Just to see what you already know. But knowing you probably won't even answer one."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the way Naruto's face scrunched up. "TEME!"

A few seconds of silence enveloped the room. Take note, "a few seconds".

Just when Sasuke figured that tutoring Naruto wouldn't be as bad as he thought, Naruto spoke.

"These questions aren't right!" Naruto huffed glaring holes at the sheet of paper.

"They are correct, Uzumaki."

"No they aren't!"

"I assure you they are."

"Fine! Since you insist they are, you answer it!"

What kind of idiot did Naruto think he was! "No."

"See! I knew they weren't correct!"

_Sigh._

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. _**(AN: That's the clock ticking! hehe)**

"Whoever wrote this is an idiot"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why's that dobe?"

"Look at that" Naruto pointed to the dark dot on the equation. "They put a period in the middle of the equation!" He started laughing at the stupidity of whoever made the problem.

Sasuke's sweat dropped. "Usuratonkachi! That's another sign for multiplication."

Laughter was ceased.

"Know-it-all" Naruto said under his breath.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Sasuke's eye twitched.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_Twitch. Twich._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Will you stop that Uzumaki!"

"Does your highness need silence?" Smirking at the way Sasuke rolled his eyes, Naruto continued to tap his pencil on the table.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke growled, "Stop it."

There was a moment of silence.

_TAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP_

"UZUMAKI!"

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.._

_Tap... Tap… Tap. _How much Sasuke wanted to strangle the Dobe's neck, nobody would ever know.

Suddenly, the tapping stopped. Sasuke thanked whoever gods were watching over him.

"Ne, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Why are giraffe's necks's so long?" The urge to bang his head on the table returned once more.

'How the hell does Kakashi expect me to put up with this idiot!'

Receiving no answer from the Uchiha, Naruto shrugged.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_Twitch. Twitch._

Refraining from pulling his hair out, Sasuke grit his teeth and glared at the offending pencil on Naruto's hand. How he so wanted to break burn it down to nothing but ashes...

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_Twitch. Twitch._

This was going to be a long day…

TBC

**-------------------------------------------------**

**AN: Heh! Another chapter done! YaY! So… How was it? Bad (I hope not!)? Good? Reviews appreciated. Really, really, really appreciated. Hehe!**

**Please review!**

**(Thanks to the reviewers so far! I'm really happy you liked it so far! I hope I don't disappoint!)**


	4. Lesson 2: Discovering Your Feelings

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Bah. I don't own Naruto…**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 4: Lesson Two: Discovering Your Feelings!**

It had already been two weeks since Naruto was tutored by Sasuke. At first, it was rocky. Both constantly fighting and bickering with each other, sometimes ended in cases where they tackled each other to the ground to solve their differences.

After the first week of daily meetings, the tension between them lightened. Yes, there were occasional fights and arguments but nothing too serious.

Gradually, they became friendlier with each other. Naruto, being the sociable person he was warmed up to Sasuke rather easily. Sasuke on the other hand, didn't quite show his "affection" towards the blond boy, but fondness was evident in his eyes. Soon, they began greeting each other at school, Naruto with loud "hellos", while Sasuke- nods of acknowledgement

**-------------------------------------------------**

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon. The sun was out giving everything a beautiful glow. The birds were happily playing about the sky which was filled with white fluffy clouds. Sasuke was seated under a sakura tree, enveloped in its shadows, admiring the tranquility of the afternoon.

"Sasuke kun!"

"SASUKE KUUN!" Sasuke sighed as he heard two familiar high pitched voices. 'Damn, and lunch only just began' he thought with a scowl.

"It's really beautiful out, ne Sasuke kun?" Sakura sat down beside him not even bothering to ask if it was alright.

"Of course it's beautiful out! I'm here!" Ino too sat down beside the rather pissed boy.

"Don't be silly Ino Pig! Liars go to hell… You should be careful of what you say." Sakura said with a smile not quite reaching her eyes.

Ino, not one to take insults lightly stated, "Aww… Sakura-chan! I'm so hurt… But… Why are you here?"

Sakura stared at her friend questioningly, "What are you talking about?"

"Shouldn't wild animals be kept in zoos? So why are you here?"

"INO PIG!"

"FOREHEAD GIRL"

"STUPID!"

"UGLY!"

"I'm not ugly!"

"Right…" sarcasm oozed from Ino's lips.

"Sasuke kun! Sasuke kun! Which one of us do you think is prettier? Me or Ino PIG?"

"Yeah? Me or BIG FOREHEAD girl?"

'How annoying' Sasuke thought. Without glancing at either of them, Sasuke spoke in his usual monotonous voice, "Neither."

"Na-Nani! GRR! INO PIG THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"How the heck is all this my fault!"

"IT JUST IS!" Forgetting about the stoic boy sitting under the Sakura tree, both girls headed to different directions, both stomping their feet hard enough to bruise the earth.

Sasuke closed his eyes. He was about to drift off to sleep when he heard footsteps approaching him. It stopped in front of where he was sitting.

"What?" He didn't bother looking up since he thought it'd be one of his fan girls again.

"Touchy!" Sasuke's eyes snapped open as the familiar voice rang to his ears.

"What are you doing here Dobe?" Sasuke's eyes softened at the sight of the blond baka.

"Here to see you of course Teme!" Naruto smiled and plopped down beside his friend.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing really. I was just thinking of how nice it was outside so I decided not to eat lunch in the cafeteria inside, instead out here… Then I saw you here so… yeah!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "It's alright with you right?"

"Hn."

Naruto grabbed his sandwich and began eating.

"Want?" Naruto held the sandwich up to Sasuke's face.

"No."

"Suit yourself. Sheez Sasuke… You should talk more. Your voice might run out!" Naruto took a bite out of his sandwich.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's comment. "Baka, only you would say something like that."

"Heh. Well… It could happen ya know!"

"Hn."

There was a comfortable silence between the two. Sasuke couldn't help but think how nice it felt to be with Naruto.

He glanced at the blond seated right next to him. 'Che… That idiot's rubbed off on me.' He sighed.

**-------------------------------------------------**

It was around four-thirty in the afternoon when Sasuke arrived at Naruto's apartment.

"Oy! You're early!"

"With you, we need all the time we can get."

"TEME!"

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's obvious reaction. 'So predictable,' He thought.

They sat opposite of each other and immediately, they started with the lessons.

After about five minutes of explanation, Naruto banged his fist on the table. "Bah! I give up!"

"Usuratonkachi, we've barely started."

"It's sooooo hard!" Naruto whined, his voice muffled by his hands that were covering his face.

"It shouldn't be. Iruka Sensei said he discussed this with you today."

"Well… I didn't get a thing he said."

"Were you even listening dobe?"

"Of course I was! I even took notes and everything!" Naruto stuck his chin up.

"Show me your notes."

"N-nani?"

"You heard me."

Cursing under his breath, Naruto grabbed hold of his book bag. After rummaging through the contents, he took out a math notebook. A very, very beaten-up looking one at that. There were tears and the edges looked as if a dog had bitten off of it. Hesitantly, he gave it to Sasuke.

Sasuke had second thoughts about peering into the math notebook. Who knew what kind of things were roaming about in there. There was a stain on the cover and… Was that fungus growing off the rim? Slowly, he opened it and flipped through the pages. Sasuke's sweat dropped at what he saw. 'As expected from the baka' Sasuke though. There were drawings of little foxes, cartoon-like numbers and so many more. Each page was either filled with scribbles of what Sasuke deciphered were notes or drawings- and really good drawings at that. He turned to the latest entry.

As Naruto claimed, there were notes. There were about three sentences until the letters ceased.

Sasuke flipped to the next page thinking it was continued there. Blank.

"Where's the rest of this, baka?"

"Uh… Heh…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I sorta… Ano… I fell asleep."

Sasuke sighed. 'It's just like the idiot to fall asleep in the middle of note-taking.'

**-------------------------------------------------**

As the time ticked by, Naruto couldn't help but steel glances at Sasuke. Without noticing, his glances turned into stares. He noticed how soft and beautiful Sasuke's hair looked and how nicely it contrasted with Sasuke's milky skin. He especially liked Sasuke's eyes. If one were to stare at his onyx eyes, one would get lost in them forever. He noticed that Sasuke looked so much like a porcelain doll… Hidden from emotion yet utterly perfect. He glanced at Sasuke's hands which were elegantly holding his pen. Naruto wondered how those hands would feel. Would they be soft or rough…

"So when you divide this by nine, you get the value of x."

Naruto snapped back to reality. 'What the hell was I just thinking! Shit! I did not just think that! I really must be tired! I do NOT have a crush on that TEME!'

"Oi dobe! You really should learn to focus."

"S-Sorry…"

"Try the next problem." Sasuke pointed to the fourth problem with his pen.

Naruto studied the problem and groaned. "I don't get it."

"Just try it baka."

"But it's so complicated."

"One step at a time."

Naruto considered the problem again. Grabbing hold of his pencil, he started with an equation. He then tried to solve the equation before him, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. After much error on the process, Naruto then came up with, x32.

Hoping that his answer would be correct he timidly showed Sasuke his work. Sasuke glanced at the paper. A gin graced his features.

His hands reached out for Naruto's head. Naruto, expecting a whack for his incorrect answer shut his eyes. But the pain never came, replaced instead with Sasuke playfully ruffling his hair.

"You got it right dobe." Naruto beamed happily at Sasuke.

**-------------------------------------------------**

It was around eight in the evening when Naruto's stomach decided to make its presence known.

_Grumble!_

Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading. He gave Naruto a confused look. Were there animals in Naruto's apartment he didn't know of?

"What was that?"

Naruto blushed in embarrassment, "Ehehehe… I'm hungry already."

'I guess his mouth's not the only thing to make so much noise' Sasuke thought, a hint of a smile made its way to his lips.

"Want some? I'm having ramen." Standing up, Naruto made his way to the kitchen.

Sasuke didn't enjoy eating ramen. He preferred something healthier, but noting his empty stomach, Sasuke gave a small nod.

Naruto began to boil water on a small pot and took out two cups of his ramen. When the water was finally boiled, he grabbed the pot. In his eagerness to satisfy his rumbling stomach, he accidentally touched the hot metal of the pot.

"ITAI!"

Hearing Naruto's high pitched shout of pain, Sasuke hurried over to the kitchen.

"UWAAAHHH! SASUKE! It HURTS!" Naruto's eyebrows were scrunched in pain and tears were rolling down his cheeks. He held up his index finger that was slightly red from where the hot metal touched his skin.

"Baka!" Sasuke grabbed hold of Naruto's arm heading for the sink. Quickly, he opened the faucet and let the cool water run over the offended finger. **(AN: Hehe… offended finger!) **

"Leave it there." He commanded Naruto. He went to Naruto's bathroom searching for a cooling gel. When he found one, he headed back to where Naruto was.

He applied some on Naruto's finger gently, careful not to hurt Naruto. As he was smothering the gel over the irritated spot, Sasuke noticed the redness in Naruto's face.

'I didn't think it'd be that serious…' He thought looking at Naruto's finger. 'Can someone catch a fever through a small burn?' He reached for Naruto's forehead. As he suspected, it was hot. The redness in Naruto's face deepened - if that was possible.

"I think your coming up with something dobe." Sasuke said concern evident in his eyes.

"N-No! Hahahaha! I'm fine! Ano… Ah… Let's eat!"

Sasuke shrugged it off and headed to the kitchen table.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto was confused… Really confused. As he sat there, opposite of Sasuke, he couldn't help but blush each time he remembered Sasuke's gentle touches. He could only blush each time he glanced up the Uchiha's face. 'Do I like HIM? Another guy?'

"It's getting late. I should go."

"H-Hai."

Both boys headed towards the door.

Sasuke was about to reach for the door handle when,

"Here, let me get that…" Naruto offered eyeing the door handle. Their hands met. Naruto froze. His face reddened once again at the contact. Trying to hide the blush that was covering his cheeks, Naruto opened the door and let Sasuke out.

"S-See you tomorrow T-teme!"

"Hn."

Once Sasuke had gone, Naruto slid down from the door and smiled.

"I think I do... I really do like him."

TBC

**-------------------------------------------------**

**AN: Wow! Another chappie done! Sorry it was a bit rushed but I ran out of arguments! Hehe! so wadaya think? should i still continue?**

**---hmm… honestly, I sorta don't know where to go from here… Anyone wanna give out suggestions? Maybe I should give myself a couple of days… gawd… writers block… eck…**

**--- Ah… My entries might become sluggish… School work's starting to nag at me! (-.-)**

**--Again, Thanks to all the reviewers so far! PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW! ---Notice that they're all capitalized? Means reviews are very much appreciated! HEHE! **

**Till next time!**


	5. Lesson 3: The Dark Side of The Moon

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Yah know what goes here… Don't own.**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 5: Lesson Three: The Dark Side of the Moon**

Sasuke stood there staring at the shattered pieces of glass. His hands were bleeding marred with both deep and shallow cuts. He shoulders were trembling with fear. Those eyes… harsh, hateful, unforgiving eyes. Those dark eyes were meant for him, only for him. They showed distaste, disapproval and disappointment.

"…You will amount to nothing."

That single line bore into Sasuke's soul. It played over and over again in his mind. Sasuke bit his lower lip. 'I won't cry.' Those five simple words hurt so much. They hurt too much.

"Did you know that this was worth more than you?"

'I didn't mean to! It was an accident!' He mentally retorted. He did not have the courage to speak up. He was so damn scared.

"Now tell me Sasuke. What significance do broken pieces have?"

'I tried to fix it...' His head was bowed down still staring at the shattered pieces of glass that lay a mess on the wooden floor. He fingers dug into his palm, drawing more blood. It dripped to the floor, replacing the tears that refused to fall.

"You will answer me." The voice was filled with anger. Anger that only Sasuke could only seem to bring out in the man.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke knelt down on the floor, not bothering with the pieces of broken glass that cut into his knees.

"Please forgive me father."

**-----------------------End of Dream--------------------------**

Warm hands were caressing his cheeks. They wiped the tears away from his tear stained face. Just as those hands were about to move to smooth out his hair, Sasuke awoke.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke glared at his brother.

"You were crying Otouto."

Avoiding the statement, Sasuke simply raised and eyebrow, "That wasn't my question."

"It's not good to keep things bottled up inside." Itachi simply said as Sasuke sat up.

Sasuke's glare darkened.

Itachi sighed. His brother was difficult to reach out to. 'It wasn't always like that' Itachi thought to himself. 'He's changed so much.'

**-----------------------Flashback--------------------------**

"Niisan! Niisan!" an eight year old Sasuke ran towards his older brother. A huge smile plastered on his face. Happiness was evident not only in his smile, but also through his eyes.

"What is it Otouto?" Itachi disregarded his schoolwork and turned to Sasuke.

"Look what I won in school today!" Sasuke held his hands up revealing a small plastic bag filled with water. Said plastic bag held something moving in it.

"A goldfish?" Itachi said as he observed the creature swimming inside.

"HAI! It's so cute, ne Niisan?"

"I don't know about cute… But it certainly can't stay in that plastic bag forever! It'll die."

"Die…" Sasuke's eyes were down cast.

Itachi frowned at his younger brother. Hoping to cheer Sasuke up, he took the bag from his brother's hands and left the room. Moments later, he returned with a small glass container filled with water and held the fish.

Placing the "fish bowl" on his table he turned to Sasuke. "Here. All better."

Sasuke, only noticing his fish now beamed at Itachi.

"HUWAAW! Niisan! Arigato!" Sasuke hugged his older brother, thin pale arms latching about Itachi's waist. Itachi petted Sasuke's hair.

"Niisan! Niisan! Let's name it!" Detaching himself from his older brother, Sasuke's attention went towards the fish.

"Name? What do you plan to call it?" Itachi too watched the fish move about its new home.

"What about…" Sasuke placed his finger on his chin, as if in deep thought.

"AHH! Lets name it Meow!"

Itachi's eye twitched. His brother wasn't sick was he? "Sasuke… You do realize that that's a fish right?"

"Hai!"

"So… Why name it Meow?"

"No reason!"

"Sometimes, even I fail to understand your logic Otouto." Itachi said faking exasperation.

"Hee!" Sasuke grinned triumphantly at naming his newfound pet.

"Boys, what's with all the noise?" Their mother stood by the doorway, a warm smile graced her gentle features.

"Okaasan! I won a fish!"

"A fish?" Their mother made her way beside her children and crouched down to look at the fish.

"HAI! HAI!" Sasuke exclaimed with utter happiness.

Itachi shook his head at Sasuke's shallow cause of happiness. "A fish named Meow." He sighed.

"Meow?" their mother sweat dropped.

"That certainly is… very creative of you, Sasuke."

"HAI!" Itachi ruffled his brother's hair as Sasuke smiled up at him.

**-----------------------End of Flashback--------------------------**

"Why are you here?" Sasuke repeated his question, successfully snapping Itachi out of his daze.

"You've got an appointment today, Otouto."

"Hn." With that Itachi left Sasuke's room.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Sasukeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Naruto whined.

"No."

"Paweeeeezzz!" Naruto put on his most adorable puppy-dog face.

"I said no." Sasuke stopped walking. He tried to pry Naruto's arms from his waist. Keyword: tried.

"Naruto get off!"

"No."

"I mean it Naruto!" Gritting his teeth, Sasuke once again tried prying Naruto's hands away from his waist. Mission failed. This was getting frustrating!

"I said no." If possible, Naruto held on tighter.

As if talking to a small child, Sasuke slowly commanded, "Naruto… G.e.t o.f.f." Frustration and annoyance were gradually eating away Sasuke's soul.

"Not until you say yes!"

"Damn it Uzumaki."

"Was that a yes Uchiha?"

Sasuke bowed his head in defeat. "Hn." was the only thing he said.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Why's he here again!" Kiba whispered into Shikamaru's ear.

"Naruto." Shikmaru said with a heavy sigh.

"I'm gonna kill that little…"

"What was it you were saying Kiba!" Naruto asked his friend in an all-knowing tone.

"That you were a little…"

"You two are so troublesome." Shikamaru interrupted.

"Can't we all get along! The foods here!" Chouji stated while sniffing the food that was gently placed on the table by the waiter.

Sasuke sat there, wondering over and over again how that idiot managed to convince him to come. Said idiot was right there beside him stuffing his face as if it were his last meal.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. That was until Kiba and Naruto's chopsticks landed on the last piece of meat.

"Ats mahn!" (Translation: That's mine!) Naruto claimed shoving Kiba's chopsticks away.

"Aht ah hell!" (Translation: What the hell!) Kiba poked roughly at Naruto's chopsticks. "Ish mahn!" (Tanslation: Its mine!)

"Ooh…" (Translation: You…)

Just as Naruto was about to complete his sentence, Chouji's chopsticks made itself known successfully manipulating the other two chopsticks in the process.

"The last piece of meat…" He exclaimed. "Is too sacred for the likes of you two! It must be treated like a god!" With that, Chouji shoved it in his mouth, swallowing without even bothering to chew.

Naruto and Kiba turned their heads sideways, uplifting their noses into the air. "Humph!" Both pouted in defeat.

"Always so troublesome." Shikamaru said while peering out of the window.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "This… this happens often?"

"Iie. It happens all the time." Shikamaru replied with indifference.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Ne, Sasuke."

"Hn?"

"Thanks for coming."

"Baka. You forced me to come."

"Heh." Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "At least you had fun right?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"None at all." Sasuke smirked. He knew what was coming next.

"TEME! You're so MEAN!"

"Hn."

"BASTARD!"

"Baka."

"Moron!"

"Dobe."

"Hmph!"

Sasuke looked back to find that Naruto had stopped walking. He slowly made his way to where the blond was standing. There was a moment of silence until Naruto spoke up. His voice soft, almost a whisper.

"The moon looks so pretty." Sasuke looked up at the skies. It was a beautiful night. The evening air was soft and a small breeze would sweep the leaves away occasionally. The skies were dark, making the moon glow twice as much. Stars littered the heavens, making them appear to be glitter scattered about dark paper.

"…"

'_It reminds me of you'_ Naruto thought silently.

"Have you ever wondered what's on the other side?"

'_You're a mystery to me Sasuke.'_

"Other side?" Sasuke looked over to the blond beside him. Naruto's eyes were fixed solely on the skies above. His eyes seemed to have lost their brightness. They appeared almost dull, almost sad.

"Hai. The darker side of the moon."

'_Who are you really?'_

Peering up at the skies once again, Sasuke replied, "No."

"Sheesh! You're no fun!" Although that was said playfully, the brightness in Naruto's eyes failed to return. Sasuke frowned at that.

"Baka."

Naruto's brows scrunched together appearing to be in deep thought. "Why do you think the moon hides behind the darkness?"

'_Will you ever show me who you really are?'_

There was a moment of silence. A light breeze toyed with the leaves on the ground.

"…Because it does not want to be seen."

"Why?" Naruto looked over to Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes were downcast, staring at the ground below him, hands shoved in his pockets.

"… It chooses to…"

'_Do you choose to hide from me too, Sasuke?'_

"Are you afraid?"

"…I don't know."

**TBC**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**AN: **

**masterofteuniverse**: Ahh! Thanks for telling me about the whole "Teme" thing! I always thought "teme" meant a random insult in Japanese! I didn't know that it meant "you". Wahh! Sorry! I'll keep that in mind! –Just goes to show how much of the Japanese language I know! Haha! Sorry again! Just imagine it wasn't there! Ugh… too lazy to edit it…

**Sasuke2006**Hey! Thanks for the suggestions! They brought upon possible plot ideas. –ooh! And I'm really happy you liked my story!

**BlueSpiritFlamesInfynitiStarSnirp**Sorry it's a late reply… Rather a late "thanks" –for the spelling of otouto! Hehe!

**sleepyOni195**: YahYah! Gakuran! I'm pretty sure that that's it! Thanks!

--And to all those who reviewed… Thanks! (sorry! I'm too much of a sloth to write down all you guys who reviewed but you know who you are- and love ya all for reviewing! heeheee!)

– I know it's still only a bit- but I'm really happy about the amount of reviews I got! Weheheheh!

---oooh! And I used to -like- not check my "work" after writing it… but starting now- I probably will cuz I did notice a lot of errors in grammar and stuff …or not… but still… even if I don't… There is a warning indicating there most probably will be a lot of errors and stuff! Hehe! Tsk tsk… Such a lazy bum…

-----ANYHUU! Whatya think? Like? Don't like? Puhleeezz review!


	6. Lesson 4: Embarrassing Situations

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own… Just wishes I do.**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 6: Lesson Four: Embarrassing Situations**

"Cut it out Naruto!" Kiba whispered roughly to the blond sitting next to him.

_Rattle, rattle, rattle. _Naruto was tapping his feat against the table producing a "mini-earthquake".

"I'm trying to write Naruto!" Kiba was frustrated. Really… very frustrated. His notes looked as though a nuclear bomb had wobbled all the characters on his paper.

"Damn it!" Kiba being a short tempered young fellow decided to take action. He kicked Naruto hard under the table.

"ITAI!" Naruto jumped from his seat successfully bringing Iruka's attention over to him.

"Was there something you wanted to share with the class, Uzumaki.?" There was a large vain on Iruka's forehead. His fists clenched into a ball. This had been the third time Naruto had disturbed the peace and serenity within his class.

"Heh." Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning his usual fox-like grin. "N-nononono! Nothing at all Iruka Sensei. G-gomen!"

"Then I suggest you take your seat and prevent further disruptions…" Iruka sighed. Naruto was really testing his patience.

Naruto let out the breath he was unconsciously holding. Iruka could be really scary sometimes. On certain occasions, you could even see the fires of hell in the background once Iruka got all fired up. He let out a shudder. Turning to Kiba, his face turned sour.

"What the hell was that for?"

"What do you mean 'what the hell was that for?'" Kiba asked mimicking Naruto's earlier question. "You started it!"

"Nani?"

"Don't you 'nani' me! You were shaking the table with your damn foot!"

"Well I was bored," A moment of silence past. "And still am!"

Kiba wonked the back of Naruto's head. "You moron! You really should be paying more attention!"

"But math's soooooooo boring!" Naruto let his head fall back as he draped his arms over his face.

Kiba couldn't avoid rolling his eyes. Shikamaru who had been observing the two from behind tapped Naruto on the shoulder.

"You do know that our next test is on Friday, don't you?"

Naruto froze. He turned blue. "W-what?"

This time, both Kiba and Shikamaru did the eye roll.

"No… Seriously guys!" Naruto's nose flared. "That's the most unfunniest joke you losers could come up with! That's two days from now!"

Shikamaru sighed at his friend's obvious lack of attention. "First of all 'unfunniest' is not a word. And secondly, Iruka announced the date of the test two weeks ago…"

Naruto paled. "Kuso…"

Kiba smireked. "You're in deep shit…"

Naruto pointed a finger at Kiba. "SHADAP!"

"UZUMAKI!"

"Heh… Sorry Iruka Sensei!"

**-------------------------------------------------**

He was nervous. He was clutching on to his bag so tightly, his knuckles turned white. Sweat dripped down from his face in anxiety. He was silent, not his usual ball of catastrophic energy.

"Baka! You look like a member of the death march!"

"N-nani?" Not really absorbing what the other boy had said, Naruto continued his "fidget walk".

Sasuke sighed at Naruto's awkward silence. He reached out for the blond's hands, prying them off the death-clutch on the poor bag. After doing so, he held on to Naruto's hand as they proceeded to walk.

Naruto almost jumped at the feel of Sasuke's hands on his own. He glanced down at their intertwined fingers and smiled. Forgetting all about his earlier uneasiness, he glanced at the boy walking next to him. 'I could get used to this.' He thought as a content sigh escaped his lips.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Just a few hours ago, they had arrived at Sasuke's house. Naruto did the perfect imitation of a fish as words failed to describe how much in awe he was at how big Sasuke's house was. No… Erase that… Naruto did the perfect imitation of a fish as words failed to describe how much in awe he was at how big Sasuke's MANSION was. Immediately, Naruto had run inside without Sasuke's consent, gawking at all the items he found amusing.

After much tugging and convincing on Sasuke's part, Naruto had agreed on continuing with math. Now, Naruto was laying belly down on Sasuke's bed with his math textbook sprawled in front of him. Sasuke, on the opposite side on the huge bed, was silently doing his own business.

"Ne, Sasuke…" Naruto rolled over to his side.

"Hn?"

"I don't get this." Naruto inched closer to Sasuke whilst bringing the math book along with him. He pointed at a certain problem and than onto his math notebook, where a half done solution lay.

"I keep getting the wrong answer…" Naruto said with a pout.

Sasuke studied the problem and than looked over at Naruto's solution. "You forgot to divide the answer by three, dobe."

Naruto scanned over his work once again. "Ah… Hehe!" He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry!"

"Baka."

"TEME! Don't call me that!"

"Dobe."

"BASTARD!" Naruto had popped. He pounced on Sasuke's back, trying to pin him to the bed.

"T-take that –argh- back… TEME!" By now Sasuke had successfully managed to get away from Naruto's death grip.

"Like hell I wi-" He was cut off as Naruto tackled him.

_THUD!_

They both fell to the ground, still wrestling each other, but with less force. Their bodies were entangled with the covers successfully bringing them closer. By now, they were both pretty drained and pained (seeing as they fell on the hardwood floor). Both boys were panting heavily, both with disheveled appearances as Naruto lay over Sasuke's chest. Overall… This was a very…er… promising position.

_Knock. Knock._

Naruto looked over to where the door was, still on top of Sasuke and still panting. A man around his early twenties was leaning against the doorframe with a smirk plastered on his face and one eyebrow raised. Naruto looked over to the man, and back at Sasuke. Then back at the man…

Naruto was confused. 'Did scientists manage to create a time machine already?' he thought to himself. He studied the man in front of him. He had the same dark hair, and same onyx eyes as Sasuke's. Even their skin-tones matched. The only difference was that the man in front of him was taller, older and had scar like lines beneath his eyes.

Once again, he glanced at Sasuke who was still beneath him. 'And this Sasuke's cuter.' He thought to himself amused.

"What do you want Itachi?" A cold monotonous voice snapped Naruto out of his reverie.

"Why Otouto… I'm hurt. You didn't even introduce me to your friend."

Naruto's sweat dropped. 'Otouto?' Well that explained a lot.

Sasuke sighed knowing full well that Itachi wouldn't leave if he skipped the formalities. "This is Naruto, I'm tutoring him." He said without moving out of their… position.

Itachi grinned. "Hello Naruto, I am Itachi… Sasuke's brother."

Naruto smiled warmly at Itachi.

"So… Tutoring eh?"

"Hai!" Naruto smiled at Itachi. Although they might look the same, Itachi seemed a lot less colder than Sasuke.

"Has Otouto been teaching you a lot of things?" Sasuke glared at his brother. He knew where this was going to lead to…

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically. "Sasuke's a great teacher!"

"Oh is he now?" Unfazed by the deathly glares he was receiving, Itachi grinned wider.

"Hai! He's taught me lot's of things."

"That sounds very… interesting." By now, Itachi's grin seemed to reach his ears. "I always thought it was the other way around…" Itachi said as he placed his finger to his chin, appearing to be in deep thought.

"Nani?" Naruto asked confused.

"I always thought it was the teachers who took advantage of their students, not students-"

"EEEHHH?" Faster than the speed of light, Naruto was up and off of Sasuke. He turned redder than a tomato. He dusted himself off trying to hide the blush that heavily painted his cheeks.

Itachi turned to his brother and spoke as Sasuke was getting up. "I always suspected that you swung that way Otouto…"

"I-it's…n-not li…like that!" Naruto interrupted Itachi. "We… we were…" Sasuke couldn't help but be amused by Naruto's stuttering.

This time, Itachi's grin was devilish. "Naruto… Sasuke's a sexy boy. It's alright to be lusting over someone like him…"

That was it. Being called "sexy" by his own brother definitely crushed whatever amusement Sasuke had felt earlier. "Think what you want, Itachi. Now what do you want?"

"So irritable little brother…" Itachi feigned a disappointed expression. "I was going to talk to you, but since you seem to be… -ahem- busy with more important matters… I'll talk to you later. " With that Itachi closed the door and left.

The snickers were not left unheard by both Sasuke and Naruto.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto was pissed. As he stomped his way to his apartment, he made as much noise as he possibly could, hoping to share his frustration with his neighbors. He flopped down to his bed with a heavy thud and buried his face on the pillow. Sasuke was so… ARGH!

**--------------------------Flashback-----------------------**

"Baka… How could you not know about that!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Ehehe… I forgot to listen to Iruka Sensei…?"

A vain made itself visible on Sasuke's forehead. "You… Forgot to listen!"

"Er… Hai?"

"Your hopeless… you know that…" Sasuke sighed at the blonds stupidity.

Naruto looked pathetic… He felt pathetic. Due to yesterdays "events" at Sasuke's house, he forgot to tell Sasuke about the math test and later at home, he forgot to study since he was still caught up in the embarrassing memory. His lips began to quiver and unshed tears gathered in his slits.

"UUUWAAHH! Sasuke! What am I gonna dooooo!" Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke and started to shake the living daylights out of the poor boy. He was crying heavily now. Not caring if Sasuke's shirt was becoming drenched.

Sasuke was feeling dizzy. "St-Stop that NARUTO!"

"UUUWAAAHHH! Sasuke! I'll never pass that test!" He let go of the dark haired boy and tugged at his hair instead.

Sasuke sighed again. He seemed to be doing that around the blond haired baka often.

"Just study what I've been teaching you these past few weeks."

"B-But that's so MUCH! I can't cram that much information all in one go!"

"Dobe!"

"WAHHHHHH! What do I do now Sasukeeeeeee!"

"Study."

"UWAAWAWAAWAA!"

Not being able to take much more of that high-pitched crying, Sasuke scooted over to where Naruto was sitting.

"Naruto…" His voice was gentle. He placed his hand over Naruto's cheek and inched a little closer. Naruto's eyes widened at the gesture. His face flushed and became ten times warmer.

"Naruto…" This time, Sasuke whispered it in Naruto's ear sending shivers down the blond's spine.

"If you do well…" Naruto was trying to keep himself from melting into a pile of goo on Sasuke's floor.

"I'll give you a prize…" Sasuke's tone was suggestive. Too suggestive. Sasuke dried Naruto's tears with his thumb and their eyes met.

'Shit… Why's it so hot in here!'. His legs were going to betray him any moment now. He felt so hypnotized by the onyx eyes.

"… and I'll make sure you enjoy it…" Naruto gulped.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Damn that bastard! Damn that bastard to hell!" Naruto shouted to no one in particular as he pounded his fists onto the bed.

"Damn him for being so damn sexy!" Naruto blushed at his own statement.

Naruto got up from his bed and took out his math book from his bag that was thrown in the corner of the room a moment ago.

"I'll make sure I get that prize, Sasuke…" Naruto thought with a grin.

**TBC**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**AN: Yay! Happy day! I finished the sixth chappie. That's an achievement for me considering I wasn't really in the mood for writing today… I'm a little sick and… I just got the results for my math Long Test today … Let's just say that I wasn't amused… ugh… where's a tutor when you need one! Heehee! It feels weird to be writing about something I really dislike… (math! Grr!)… ah well… all is still right in the world…**

**-Hey just a little thingy I'm curious about… did you guys not wonder about the "appointment" Sasuke was supposedly gonna have? (Back at chapter 5- after the flashback on the fish named meow.) **

**-And if you guys noticed… When I first started writing this… the first genre was supposed to be Romance/Drama. After like the first chappie (I think) I changed that to Romance only and later on I changed it back to Romance/Drama. **

**-The "appointment" and the "switching back to Romance/Drama's" connected since I was gonna do two separate stories, instead I compiled it as one. Just a little clearing up sorta thing for those who noticed! **

**-Oh and Endless Snow: I'm not sure if I'll be doing the festival thingy you suggested but I might do something similar to it or something…. I'll keep that in mind! THANKS for your suggestion! **

**--ANYWHOOO! Thanks for the reviews! And do continue reviewing or else I'll cry… sheesh… do I sense a drama queen!**

**Don't be mean okay! I'll start writing the next chappie like… now. Hehe… **

**Review! Review! Review!**


	7. Lesson 5: Am I ready?

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own… Just wishes I do.**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 7: Lesson Five: Am I ready?**

The day had started out beautiful. The sun was up and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Why it ended up into a nasty storm, Sasuke did not know. He was running for home as fast as his short legs could take him. His knuckles were turning white from holding on his bag so tightly.

'Otousan will finally recognize me.' With that in mind, Sasuke ran even faster.

He was drenched from head to toe. His hair clung to his face, no longer in its usual spiky form. His school uniform was now soaking and hugged his small frame. He was getting tired now… He really wasn't supposed to be over exerting himself, at least that's what they all told him. But he didn't care. What mattered was what his father would say in acknowledgement. The same acknowledgement he had been working so hard to achieve for the past couple years.

Today, his hard work would be rewarded. His straight A's would finally bring happiness to his father. Those disapproving eyes would no longer be directed over to him.

A huge smile made its way to his pale face.

As Sasuke turned the block that led to his home, his pace slowed down. He stopped dead on his tracks.

Who were these people? Why were they all here?

"That's their youngest right?"

"Poor boy."

"They were such great people too."

"Such a noble family"

"Was it confirmed?"

"Hai. They've informed the eldest already."

Sasuke ignored all the stares, all the whispers. He pushed past the crowd and all the nosy people. What were they thinking just standing around his home? Did they have nothing better do?

Sasuke was annoyed. He was curios. But most of all, he was scared. Why did their eyes hold nothing but pity? Why were they directed over to him? His stomach churned. He knew something bad must've happened, but he refused to believe so.

As he made his way out of the crowd, a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Niisan?" Relief made its way to Sasuke's body, but instantly found its way out.

His brother… His perfect brother didn't look so perfect anymore. He looked shaken. Those eyes that were usually warm were filled with uncertainty and sadness. And… Were those tears?

"Niisan? What's wrong?"

Warmth enveloped him as his brother hugged him tightly. "Where are they Niisan?" Sasuke wasn't naïve. Even if he chose to believe otherwise, he wanted to know. He wanted to know what happened.

Itachi had understood who Sasuke was referring to. His brother was no fool. And that's what Itachi hated the most at the moment. He couldn't hide anything from his brother. Even if he chose to, Sasuke would find out for himself. He chose to remain silent.

"Did they return home yet, Niisan?"

"Sasuke…" Itachi looked hesitant as he stared at his younger brother. Kneeling down to face his little brother, Itachi sighed. He didn't know how Sasuke would handle this, or if Sasuke could handle at all.

'_Be strong little brother'_

Peering into his brothers innocent eyes, he felt his heart shatter.

'_Let me introduce you to loneliness.'_

It had to be done.

"They aren't coming back."

**-------------------------------------------------**

Sasuke woke from his dream_. 'Kuso…'_ These dreams were persistent. They've been following him around for the past eight years. Things he chose to forget always made its way back to his mind. Things never seem to go his way. 'Life sucks.' He thought to himself silently.

With that, he got up and made his way to the bathroom.

Yet another day in school. _'Ugh.'_

**-------------------------------------------------**

"You look like shit." Was the first thing Kiba said as he entered the classroom.

"Good morning to you too…" Naruto said, tone bland and tired.

"Did someone get lucky last night?" Kiba asked teasingly, his eyebrows bobbing up and down.

"Pervert."

Naruto had dark bags around his eyes. His hair was messier than usual. His head rested on his arms that were resting on the table. Sleep seemed like the greatest thing the earth had to offer. Unfortunately for him, he had friends. –He had 'A' friend in particular. He had a really evil sadistic friend. Said friend had pulled at Naruto's chair resulting to a blond mess on the floor.

Blond mess landed with a loud 'THUMP'.

"WHAT THE HELL KIBA!" That sure woke him up. Rubbing his abused bottom that had oh so conveniently cushioned his fall, Naruto got up, kicked Kiba in the shins, grabbed his chair, and went back to his sleep. Or at least tried to go back to sleep.

Kiba's hollers were loud enough to keep the dying alive. Naruto couldn't help but be amused at the amount of colorful words that were spilling out of Kiba's mouth. Some, he didn't even know existed.

"Damn it Naruto… I do have plans on reproducing one day!" Kiba said as he sat back down his chair.

Naruto snickered halfheartedly as sleep was starting to engulf him.

"Why are you even tired anyways? I doubt you'd be up doing anything school related…"

"Couldn't sleep." It was true actually. Naruto had been up till sunrise worrying and anticipating. Today was the day. Today was the distribution of the results, and damn was he anxious. He'd been up all night wondering what grade he got and more importantly what Sasuke would give him. _'Damn that bastard…_' Naruto thought as sleep overtook him.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"SASUKE!" Naruto was running. Running really fast. He didn't care that his legs were burning up. He didn't care that he felt like collapsing from exhaustion. All he knew was that he needed to see Sasuke… and NOW!

Upon reaching the Uchiha mansion, Naruto didn't bother knocking. The doors were always open anyways. He rushed up to Sasuke's room, turned the door knob and opened the door. Instantly his eyes landed on the figure on the bed. He dropped the paper he was holding onto a while ago, jaws dropping along with it.

"Sa-Sasuke?" Said boy was on the bed. Said boy was on the bed topless. Said boy was on the bed topless with only his boxers on.

"Hello Naru-chan." Sasuke purred from behind Naruto.

"What the-" Naruto was shocked at the dark haired teens sudden closeness. How Sasuke managed to creep up on him, Naruto did not know.

"How did my Naru-chaaan do on his test?" Naruto felt Sasuke hug him from behind, his back resting on Sasuke's chest. The dark haired teen's chin lay on Naruto's shoulder while his hands locked onto Naruto's thin waist.

"I- I did well. I p-passed." He could feel Sasuke's warm breathing on his neck giving him goose bumps all over.

"Wonderful" Sasuke detached himself from Naruto's body. Now facing Naruto, he slowly undid Naruto's jacket, tugging on the zipper ever so slowly. He stopped as the jacket opened, hands roaming upward to the blonds neck. He traced Naruto's lips with his thumb, receiving a satisfied moan from the blond. The hand left his lips and proceeded upward, towards his nose.

"Naruto."

"Sasuke."

"Naruto!" Those fingers started pinching on his nose. At first they were light, now they were just painful.

"Sasuke? What?" A whack on his head instantly snapped Naruto out of his dream.

"KIBA!"

"NA- HAHA- RU – HAHAHAHA – TO!" Kiba was now on the floor, tears welling up his eyes from laughing so hard. "You were – HAHAHA- you were all – HAHAHAHAH – oh Sasuke!"

Naruto turned red from embarrassment. So it had all been a dream? 'SHIT!' he thought looking over at Kiba who was now turning purple due to lack of oxygen. 'I knew it was too good to be true.' He thought with a grunt.

Shikamaru and Chouji, upon seeing Kiba on the floor, literally dieing from laughter, tried calming Kiba down. After a few minutes of desperate attempts of calming the boy down, Kiba finally welcomed oxygen back to his body. After everyone had settled, Kiba took his seat next to Naruto who refused eye contact with him.

"So…"

"SHADAP." Naruto snapped knowing full well what Kiba was about to ask.

Kiba snickered at Naruto's obvious irritation. His blond friend could be so moody sometimes.

"Interesting dream-"

"I said SHADAP!"

"Care to expou-"

"EHP!"

"AWW common-"

"BAH BAH!"

"Na-"

"BOOBER HEIMEN!"

"That's not even-"

"Mary had."

"What the hell? Naruto! You're gonna have to tell-"

"A little lamb."

"Oi! Stop trying to-"

"Little lamb."

"FINE!" Kiba shut up. He turned the opposite direction and crossed his harms. He stuck his chin up in the air and pouted.

Obviously this was something Naruto wasn't willing to talk about. If Naruto would rather sing Nursery rhymes rather than tell one of his best buds about that interesting dream he seemed to be having, than so be it! He didn't want to hear about it anyway! Who cares about what Naruto fantasized about! Who cared that it involved Uchiha Sasuke- another guy! Who cared that the blond idiot was making so many suggestive sounds… Right?

"Hmph." Was all Kiba could manage to say.

**-------------------------------------------------**

His feet were trembling from underneath the desk making small "thumping" sounds. He was gnawing on his fingernails furiously. His heart was pounding on his ribcage like a drummer does to his instrument. The suspense was slowly eating him alive. _'Damn, two more'_ Naruto thought glaring at the pile of papers Iruka was holding in his hands.

"Toki, Kai." Said boy stood up from his chair and made his way over to Iruka. Grabbing his paper, he went back to his seat.

'_One more…'_

"Ukawara, Hikaru." A girl from behind stood, doing exactly what the previous boy did.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." Naruto stood up. He took cautious steps towards his teacher as if it were a scene of prey and predator.

As the blond teen finally reached Iruka, Iruka gazed down at Naruto face emotionless and stony.

'_Shit'_ Naruto thought miserably. Shoulders slumping, he hesitantly grabbed hold of his paper, eyes downcast. By the stony expression on Iruka's face, Naruto already knew he failed. Without even glancing at his score, he sighed and turned to go back to his seat.

A chuckle good be heard from behind him. Naruto turned around confusion etched on his face. "What -"

"Congratulations Naruto." Iruka bent forward a little and smiled at his student, giving him an affectionate pat on the head.

"Eh?" Finally peering at the paper before him, Naruto almost gasped as he saw the score written in blobby red ink.

"84. it's a big improvement ne?" Naruto didn't miss the hint of pride in Iruka's eyes. Those proud eyes were directed towards him. He couldn't help but smile.

"YOSH!" Naruto made his way to his seat, a huge grin permanently plastered on his face.

Upon reaching his seat, Kiba's shocked expression greeted him.

"That's… IMPOSSIBLE! You… you passed! Bottom-of-the-class Naruto Uzumaki PASSED! "

"Is this- Is this some sort of parallel world I'm trapped in?"

"These chips are good."

Three heads turned to Chouji who was happily munching on his potato chips.

"Whaaat? They're yummy!" he whined.

"You think everything is good dumbass."

"You two are so troublesome!"

"HEEYYY! You ruined MY MOMENT CHOUJI!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at his plump friend.

Flapping his hands up and down in embarrassment, Chouji grinned sheepishly. "Ahh… heh… resume, resume."

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto was excited. Maybe his dream was supposed to be some sort of sign. Maybe his dream was actually a future glimpse of his prize? Inspired by this conclusion, Naruto dashed over to Sasuke's house.

His pace slowed down as thoughts entered his head.

"What if- What if we actually do that!" He stopped walking.

'_Shit! Am I even ready for that kinda stuff. I mean, he's like eighteen already… I'm two years younger… two years from being legal!'_ He rested a finger on his chin.

'_Am I ready to be de-virgin-ized by Uchiha Sasuke!'_

'_EH! What if I get PREGNANT!_' cocking his head to the side he slapped his hand on his forehead. _'Boys don't get pregnant baka!'_

Naruto sat on the ledge of the sidewalk still in deep thought, head resting on his hands.

'_Let's see… what to do. What to do.'_

"Ahh! I truly am a genius! I'll way the pros and cons!" He shouted at no one in particular.

'_I'll start with cons… Hmmm…. Let's see. It might hurt, that's one. Uhh…'_ His thoughts drifted off.

'_Hmm… I'll go back to that later. Pros! It's Sasuke. That's one._' He snickered to himself.

'_Sasuke's hot! That's two'_ He grinned.

'_I like him.'_ Even in his head, this was said with a whisper. He blushed at the thought.

'_Sasuke's sexxxy!_' He almost "rawred" at that.

"It's UCHIHA SASUKE!" He squealed loudly! Anyone who might've past the squealing blond would have turned deaf in an instant.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Sasuke?" Naruto peered into the room, his head sticking out from the door. It was dark. There was a figure on the bed, though it was to dark to decipher whether it was Sasuke or not.

"How'd you do?" The monotonous tenor voice sliced through the silence.

'_Yup, definitely Sasuke.'_

"I passed." Naruto entered the room fully and closed the door behind him.

"Wonderful." Naruto gulped.

His inner self said something like this. _'OHMIGAD! He said that in my dream! It's gonna happen! It's gonna happen!'_ Naruto could almost feel his brain hyperventilating at the thought.

Sasuke moved from the bed and came face to face with Naruto. To his dismay, Sasuke wasn't topless with only his boxers on. Still, the blond could feel his face heating up from the closeness.

"I made sure you'd enjoy this." Sasuke cupped Naruto's cheek as their faces drew closer and closer together. Closing his eyes, Naruto expected his first kiss here and now.

'_His lips are probably soft.'_

'_Will he be gentle or rough?'_

'_Does he feel the same way about me?' _

Naruto's train of thoughts came crashing down as something small, cold and rough was placed on his lips. Flapping his eyes open, Naruto came face to face with a lollipop.

"EH!" Naruto was confused. Was this a Sasuke fetish or something?

"What? Do you not know what a lollipop is?"

"BASTARD! Of course I do! But, what's it for?"

"It's your prize, Dobe!"

"MY WHAT!" Naruto glared at the small ball on a stick.

'_That damned lollipop ruined everything! Curse you sugary goodness!'_ His glare deepened, willing it to burst into flames.

'_My chances of losing my virginity to Uchiha Sasuke, stolen by candy."_ He sighed. The god's above must really hate him. Taking his gaze away from the offending candy, he glared daggers at Sasuke.

'_Why must you torment me so!' _

**TBC**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**AN: LOL! Bet you didn't see that coming ne! MWAHAHAHA! Get your minds out of the gutter people! HEHE!**

**Sorry I like took forever… (well not really) to update. We've been bombarded with quizzes and shit throughout the week. Damn! I was really itching to write but nooooo! There just had to be a chemistry test this week and about a million other stuff along with it! Grr… as Shikamaru would say… "So troublesome!" **

**Oh and I forgot to mention! Sasuke's in his senior year while Naruto's only in second! I dunno what the relevance of that would be, but whatever! HEHEHE! Just thought you should know!**

**AHH! And another thing. I might end up changing the title to "Tonight's my Eternity" since I mentioned a while back that I changed the plot and the original title for this might not fit with the story… What do you guys think? Keep the original (Mending the Pieces) or change it to Tonight's my Eternity?**

**Anyhoo… here comes the messages and reply part and stuff! **

**-sasunarulover & XxEvilDivaxX: What did you guys think Naruto's prize was eh? Sheez! It obviously was a lollipop all along! How could you not know that? LOL! Hehehe! Sorri! I'm a little weird today! Thanks for the reviews!**

**-HellsBlackAngel16: Ah, don't worry! This is a SasuNaru fanfic after all! They'll eventually make it through!**

**-Sasuke2006: I like nice Itachi too! Heehee! Except this ones sorta… pervy bully Itachi! I'm glad you liked my previous chapter!**

**-InfynitiStar: GASP lol! That's all I can manage to say at the moment! I can't think of anything coherent. Nyehe! –I dun like math! whines But I do like my math teacher (WAIT! Not in 'that' way of course!)! He's… uh… let's just put it this way… He likes to keep in touch with his feminine side! HEHE! **

**-Ms Trick: WAHH! Sorry! Sorry! I'll do the footnote thing you suggested! It's my first time writing stuff like this so I really appreciated your comments and stuff! **

**End of the messages and reply part and stuff! –Sorry! I'm sorta sugar high-ish right now!**

**SOOO! How'd you guys like this chapter? Good? Bad? Boring? Not boring? (HUH?) tell me what you think! TEEEELLL MEEE!**

**I lab all of those who reviewed! As in I really, really lab you all! MWAH!**

**KEEP REVIEWING! **

**I'll try to update soon!**


	8. Lesson 6: How to Make a Friend

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… Sasuke does… or will eventually. Hee!**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 8: Lesson Six: How to Make a Friend **

"Did you see him?"

"YEAH! He's so hot… Well of course, second to Sasuke-kun!"

"What year is he in?"

"Second."

"EEEPP! I hope he's in our class!"

"I know! I heard he transferred from another country!"

"Wow? Really?"

"Yup! I hear he-"

"Alright students! Settle down!" Iruka's voice brought a halt to all the squeals and high pitched gossip.

"We have a transfer student with us today. He will be joining this class." A few squeals of joy once again disrupted the peaceful calm of the morning.

Than, all fell silent as the door slid open. A young boy entered the room. He was pale-skinned and his eyes held the same paleness. He had long dark hair that was tied in a loose ponytail.

"Ahh, Hyuuga Neji, am I right?" Iruka asked.

"Hai." The boy- Neji, gave a light nod.

"You may sit there," Iruka pointed over to an empty seat, "in front of Naruto."

Again, Neji gave another polite nod and made his way to the empty seat.

------------------------------------------------------------

It was during History class that Naruto decided to investigate the new addition to his class. Scribbling a few things down on a piece of paper, he folded it and threw it at Neji's table.

Neji stared down at the offending piece of paper that had landed directly on the middle of his table. He shot a questioning look over at Naruto.

"Open it" Naruto mouthed. He grinned at the pale boy in front of him.

Neji took hold of the paper, and opened it. At first, he had to turn it around, guessing he had read it upside down. When the paper did a full 360 degree turn his sweat dropped. This had to be some sort of code right?

Turning back to where the blond was seated he threw a folded piece of paper over to his table.

_I'm sorry; I'm not familiar with this code._

Naruto's eye twitched. Was this kid serious or was he screwing with him? A nudge from Kiba grabbed his attention.

"He's not used to your chicken scratch" whispered Kiba.

"What! My penmanship happens to be good!" Naruto whispered back, not-so-softly.

Rolling his eyes, Kiba sighed. "I beg to differ."

Naruto glared over to Kiba and ripped a page from his notebook. From there, he re-wrote his note to Neji. Once again, he threw it over to Neji's table.

Opening the torn piece of paper, Neji had to squint to decipher the words scattered about. At least this time it was understandable… right?

_Wawa have bunch width ne and a few of the gays?_

"HUH?" Neji's sweat dropped. Was this handwriting that of a humans? He thought with slight frustration as his eyes almost popped from their sockets. After much eye strain and squinting on Neji's part, the note finally made sense.

_Wanna have lunch with me and a few of the guys?_

Turning back to Naruto's direction, Neji smiled and nodded.

This would be the beginning of a new friendship!

TBC

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**AN: AWWW! The reviews didn't even reach 50! _(Turns and pouts)_ **

**Anywhooo! Sorry if it's short and bland but I'll try compensate for it by posting two chappies today… tonight! **

**Oh! As you might've already noticed, I decided to change the title already! (This author is so pickle minded ne?) hehe! I hope it didn't bother anyone! Anyways… read and review! **

**I'mYourHottieFanGirl****: xX twitch you seem like the patient type! Lol! Chupachups!**

**(Thanks for the reviews!)  
**


	9. Lesson 7: Hello Jealousy

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: You know what goes here! Don't own.**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 9: Lesson Seven: Hello Jealousy**

"**The hardest thing in life is loving the person right next to you and knowing they love someone else."**

It had been weeks since Neji and Naruto became friends. At first, Neji seemed prissy. But after much time spent together, Mr. Prissy didn't seem so prissy anymore. Eventually, Neji started hanging out with Naruto and his friends, and soon enough, they all became closer to one another. They often hung out and did practically everything together.

Naruto should've been happy. Actually, he was, but something had been bothering him lately. He noticed that as he and his friends got closer, he and Sasuke seemed to drift farther and farter apart. The reason, Naruto hadn't the slightest clue.

Naruto had tried to become closer to the Uchiha. He thought he succeeded in doing so, and just when Naruto was sure he and Sasuke were friends, Sasuke started acting colder. Yes, there had been the occasional bickering and weekly tutoring, but Sasuke seemed so… so distant.

Naruto didn't know when or how it started. Before, Sasuke's eyes held so much warmth, even when he glared; Now, Naruto shivered every time that glare was directed over to him.

Naruto sighed. It seemed Sasuke was closing up on Naruto, building his defenses. _'I need to talk to him.' _Naruto thought sadly.

------------------------------------------------------------

The cafeteria was filled up with so many people. Noise that sounded much like buzzing filled the room. Naruto and his friends sat on a round wooden table in the corner of the spacious room.

"Where's Neji?" Naruto asked looking around the cafeteria.

"He's eating lunch with someone else." Was Shikamaru's bored reply.

"Again? I haven't seen much of him lately…" Naruto said to no one in particular.

"He's been hanging out with Uchiha." Chouji stated between mouthfuls of his lunch.

"Seems like those two are getting along pretty well" said Kiba who was trying to copy Shikamaru's homework as fast as possible.

"BAKA! Where'd you get THAT!" Shikamaru pointed an accusing finger at Kiba.

"Yo-You gave it to me remember!" Kiba was lying. And what a horrible liar Kiba was.

Rasising an eyebrow, Shikamaru urged Kiba to continue. "I was all… hey Shika! And you were all… Hey Kiba, here's my homework!" Kiba was fluttering his arms all over the place, trying his best to reenact what had happened... or what he claimed happened.

"You know, hell's a hot place to burn in, liar!"

"No seriously! You gave it to me!"

A vain popped on Shikamaru's forehead. What kind of fool did Kiba take him for? He was lazy, yes, but he wouldn't give up that easily. "And why is it that I can't remember doing so!"

"Amnesia?"

"Back." Shikamaru ordered, holding his hand out.

"Awww! Common!"

"Now." Having had enough, he grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Just… Just… Five minutes SHIKA-KUN!"

"Don't Shika-Kun me!" Taking hold of his homework, Shikamaru whacked Kiba on the back of his head.

"WHAT THE- why is it always ME who gets hit!"

"Because you're so troublesome!" Shikamaru pointed out, back to his usual lazy tone.

"ABUSIVE FRIENDS!" Shouted Kiba, pointing accusing fingers at Shikamaru and Naruto who silently watched.

"KIBA! You are disturbing this sacred moment with man and meal!" Chouji cut in, nose flaring, angry teeth showing.

"Eh… Heh. Sorry Chouji!" Not wanting to get on Choiji's bad side, Kiba shut up, and pouted at Shikamaru instead.

------------------------------------------------------------

"_He's been hanging out with Uchiha." _

"_Seems like those two are getting along pretty well" _

Naruto made his way down the schools hallway, eyes downcast. He was fine, at least that's what he told himself. He was just imagining this nasty pang in his heart.

It was such a simple thing. Sasuke was allowed to have friends, Sasuke was allowed to be happy… So why did Naruto not want that to happen… At least, not unless it was with him.

"Fine. Why'd you ask?"

Naruto stopped walking. He recognized that voice. Peering over to where he heard the sound, he confirmed his suspicions.

"It's nothing."

"I'll see you tonight than, Sasuke?"

"Hn."

Sasuke walked off as Naruto stared at his retreating back. His hands balled. 'Tonight? Were Sasuke and…' Shaking his head he sighed. 'I should be happy for him if that's the case right?' He stared at his feet. 'Stupid Sasuke! Making me feel like this! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!'

"Oh, Naruto? What are you doing here?" Naruto instantly snapped out of his thoughts.

"Ah… Ano! Ah… Nothing! I- I was just about to go home."

"I'll walk with you than."

"No, it's- it's okay Neji, You don't have to!"

"It's fine. My house is in the same direction as yours anyways."

"Ah… o-okay than."

Walking side by side, both boys started to make their way out of school grounds.

Naruto bit his lower lip. He really wanted to ask what really was going on, but couldn't bear to hear what he knew he'd hear.

_The truth hurts, doesn't it?_

Glancing over to Neji's direction, he clenched his fists. It hurt to see what he couldn't be. There, right beside him, was most likely Sasuke's ideal lover. Neji was perfect. He was good-looking, smart and just plain perfect. Naruto didn't have that elegance Neji seemed to carry wherever he went. Naruto wasn't smart, heck; he needed Sasuke's help every time. Naruto was far from even the shadows of perfection.

_Hello jealousy,_

_Is that you calling?_

'_WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING? Has that bastard got me self conscious too!' _He sighed in frustration.

Not missing the sigh that escaped his friends' lips, Neji turned to Naruto. "What's the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Naruto smiled, hoping Neji wouldn't be able to tell it was forced.

Unfortunately, Neji was sharp. "You can choose to shut up and suffer alone, or tell me so I can help."

Naruto stopped walking. _'Maybe it wouldn't hurt to seek advice.' _He thought to himself. _'I mean, that bastard's so complicated! Maybe Neji might know what to do!'_

Naruto cleared his throat and began to talk. "I… well, I like this girl… and…"

"Girl?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… And well… We've been friends for a while…" He looked to the ground. "At least that's what I thought…" He added softly.

"Did you have a fight?"

"No, no! Nothing like that… He… er… She just sorta started acting cold and stuff."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"You like her right?"

"NO!" Naruto blushed. "Maybe a little… But it doesn't matter, she likes someone else."

"Did she tell you?"

"No…"

"Than how do you know?"

"I just do okay!" Naruto pouted. "But whatever! I don't even like her that much anyways! She's always got this stick up his ass and he's this stupid ice-prince that always goes around glaring at people!" Naruto didn't notice that he was rambling on and on. He also didn't notice that the "she's" were being replaced by "he's".

"First of all, make up your mind! Is it a girl or a guy?" Still a little dazed from Naruto's nonstop rambling Neji continued. "You're jealous Naruto." He said, bobbing his eyebrows up and down.

"WHAT? HECK NO! I'm not jealous over that BASTARD"

"And pigs fly." Sarcasm oozed from Neji's mouth.

"Are you implying that I'm lying!"

"No. I'm just stating a fact. They say that there's a certain type of pig in Antarctica that actually grew wings."

"That's stupid Neji! There aren't any pigs in Antarctica! Maybe it was somewhere else?"

Neji's sweat dropped. A moment of silence passed between them as a light breeze toyed with their hair.

"So, what do you think I should do?" Naruto finally spoke. Eyes fixed up in the skies.

"You know, you might regret never knowing what could've been."

"You think I should tell her?"

"Love comes with all types of risks. If you aren't willing to accept those risks, maybe you aren't really in love after all."

"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE! I LOVE-" Naruto stopped and blushed at what he was about to say.

"Than prove it. Or are you just all talk?" Was Neji's taunting reply.

"Fine! I'll show you!" Naruto was about to stomp off when Neji's cool hand grabbed hold of his shoulder.

"I think you're confused."

"Wha-"

Neji cut him off. "As a matter of fact, I believe Sasuke's a guy."

"Who said I was talking about Sasuke!" Naruto fumed. _'How the hell does he know!' _

Completely ignoring Naruto's question, Neji continued. "He'll throw a fit once he finds out you called him a girl." Neji smirked knowingly.

Too shocked at how Neji had found out his "little secret", Naruto did not reply.

Neji began to walk off, ahead of Naruto. "No need to be jealous over me though."

Staring at Neji's retreating back, Naruto replied in a soft voice. "I'm not-"

He was cut off once again by Neji's gentle tone. "Sasuke's my cousin, Naruto."

All that could be heard was Neji's light rhythmic footsteps. Naruto smiled.

'Maybe I do have a chance after all.'

**TBC**

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**AN: Ugh… it's 10:30pm. I'm sleepy. I wrote three things today… Yay me! Two for this story and one new one! I'm in need for sleep!**

**Next chappie: Naruto reveals his feelings! (finally!) Hmmm… How do you think it'll go? **

**Please review! **


	10. Lesson 8: Finding That Perfect Moment

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 10: Lesson Eight: Finding That Perfect Moment (PART 1)**

"**Opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss."**

"Please?"

"No."

"Common! You've been so damn cold all week! You owe me for putting up with you!"

"I don't owe you anything Uzumaki." A vain made itself visible on Sasuke's forehead. The blond idiot had been pestering him all morning. Sasuke had been having an intense urge to pull his hair out in frustration. The idiot was persistent and stubborn. Too bad Sasuke was just as stubborn.

"Sasukeeee!" Naruto puffed his cheeks, feeling completely exasperated. His attempts had been futile, and no matter how loud he whined or how hard he pulled, Sasuke just wouldn't give in! '_Dammit!' _

"No."

"I promise I won't bother you about anything else after this!"

"Usuratonkachi! I don't see how that's possible coming from someone like you."

Too determined to convince the Uchiha, Naruto did not retort. "It's not like you have anything better to do today!"

"Just because I have nothing planned doesn't mean-" Sasuke was cut off as the door squeaked open.

"Is otouto giving you trouble, Naruto-kun?" Itachi stepped in the room, a bit groggy, hair disheveled. Despite the large mansion and the hefty distance between his and Sasuke's room, their bickering and Naruto's constant whining could clearly be heard from Itachi's room.

That same noise was the root cause of Itachi's awakening. No matter how hard he tried to ignore the nauseating clamor, his attempts all turned to vain. Having come home late from work, Itachi was in much need for sleep. He was determined to perish whatever got in his way of him and his sleep. So, with a sour expression, he got up, ready to bestow doom upon that maddening noise.

Naruto's eyes lit up as he caught sight of Itachi by the doorway.

"Itachi-nii!" Lately, Naruto's gotten the habit of referring to Itachi as an older brother. It was something that could not have been helped since Naruto was constantly a regular at the Uchiha mansion. On rare occasions where Sasuke wasn't able to tend to the blond right away, Itachi would entertain the blond through random chats. Soon, the two had developed a brotherly bond that Itachi had not been able to experience with Sasuke in quite a while.

"Sasuke's being a prick!" Naruto whined, fake tears gathering in his eyes.

"Sasuke, stop being a prick." Itachi said, in a stern tired voice, not really caring what he was saying.

_Sasuke' eye twitched._

Latching onto Itachi's arm, Naruto's eyes doubled in size, as the tears continued to stream down. "He's being mean to me, Itachi-niiii!"

"Stop being mean to him, Sasuke." Again, Itachi said that with the same amount of severity and apathy.

_Another twitch. _

Lips pouting, Naruto continued to sob. Tugging at Itachi's arm forcefully, Naruto looked up to Itachi with puppy-dog eyes. "Sasuke won't go with me to the beach! I really, really want to go Itachi-NIIIII!"

As Itachi turned his gaze to a glaring Sasuke, Naruto grinned, a look of triumph plastered on his face. _'Take that bastard!'_

"Uchiha Sasuke, take Naruto to the beach." Itachi's foul mood seemed to be contained within those words for even Naruto shivered at the tone.

Looking over at Naruto's victorious face, Sasuke hands turned to fists. _'Like hell he'd lose to the blond idiot!' _Casting a dark glare over to Naruto, Sasuke faced his brother who seemed to have a dark aura surrounding him. Despite how terrifying Itachi looked at the moment, Sasuke calmly regarded his brother. "I think not. I have-"

"Naruto. Beach. Now." The words were laced with much venom as they escaped through gritted teeth. They held torture, finality and death to whoever idiot dared defy the homicidal man who lacked in sleep.

Sasuke cringed. He was not going to be brought down!

**-------------------------------------------------**

_Uchiha Sasuke had never been ordered around. _

_Uchiha Sasuke always won._

_Uchiha Sasuke always had it his way._

_That's why Uchiha Sasuke was glaring. _

_That's why Uchiha Sasuke was fuming._

_That's why Uchiha Sasuke was ready to kill._

"What's stuck up your ass?.!"

"…"

"Aww common teme!"

"…"

"What the hell?.!"

"…"

"You can't still be pissed!"

"…"

Naruto grinned at Sasuke's childish behavior. Sasuke was sitting by the bus window glaring coldly at the outside view, arms crossed and avoiding all contact with the blond sitting right next to him.

"Who knew the ice prince was afraid of Itachi-nii?"

If possible, the Uchiha's glare darkened. Naruto sighed. Really, Sasuke was acting like a child having a tantrum fest. Peering over to the dark haired boy, he frowned. The real reason he insisted on bringing Sasuke to the beach was to maybe mend their relationship. It was a random observation that he was probably taking too much at heart, but he couldn't help but notice how cold Sasuke had gotten to him. Of course it hurt Naruto and it bothered him- maybe too much, but he was determined to solve whatever was bothering the Uchiha.

'_And maybe if we patch things up, I'll finally be able to tell him.'_

Naruto smiled at the thought. He'd been anticipating the moment for a long time now. This unrequited love was taking its toll on the blond. Although Naruto never really planned to tell Sasuke, after talking to Neji the other week got him to reconsider.

"_You know, you might regret never knowing what could've been."_

Neji's voice rang over and over in his mind. _'That's right. I should live life with no regrets, right? But what if I'll regret telling him how I feel in the end?'_

"_Love comes with all types of risks. If you aren't willing to accept those risks, maybe you aren't really in love after all."_

Naruto sighed as he recalled what Neji had said. He loved Sasuke. He really did. Although he tried to refuse it numerous of times, he could never deny them. His encounter with Neji really got him thinking.

Most of the time, Naruto was fine with loving Sasuke from afar. Unrequited love was better than rejection, right? But as the weeks passed, it became harder and harder for the blond to compress what he felt. Sasuke had the right to know and Naruto needed to tell him.

'_If he hadn't already figured it out himself.'_ Naruto thought as he pondered on just how sharp the Uchiha was. His constant blushing alone could've easily given it away.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Were here, Usuratonkachi." Sasuke's voice snapped Naruto out of his reverie. He looked around. Indeed they had reached their destination. He gave a knowing grin to the Uchiha.

"I'm irresistible, aren't I?"

Sasuke's brows knotted slightly, hints of confusion evident in his eyes. "Saying incoherent things is a hobby of yours, it seems."

"Tsss… Knew you couldn't last not talking to me." Naruto winked at the Uchiha, who raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Baka."

'_Hmm…' _Things were looking up for Naruto.

**-------------------------------------------------**

It had been a little passed lunch when Sasuke and Naruto reached the beach.

"WHHAA!" Eyes glittering and mouth agape, Naruto took in his surroundings with much enthusiasm. "It's so nice here!" Running towards the sand, Naruto outstretched his arms, relishing the feel of the warm summer breeze and soft sand under his feet.

Unconsciously, Sasuke smiled at Naruto's childish behavior. The blond was so simple minded and carefree. He watched Naruto jump up and down, an infinite smile plastered on his face.

'_Cute'_ Sasuke thought absentmindedly. Thoughts of affection however were shattered once Naruto dropped to the ground, back resting on the sand.

"What the hell Naruto?.!" Sasuke sighed. "SNOW-angels are meant for winter, Usuratonkachi!"

As Naruto fluttered his arms and legs hyperactively, he stuck his tongue over to Sasuke. "Teme! I'm making sand angels."

Sasuke sweat dropped. _'Only an idiot like him would think of something like that.' _Marching over to where the blond lay, Sasuke yanked Naruto to his feet.

"TEME! You ruined my sand-angel!" Naruto hollered, cheeks puffing, face red.

"Get over it." He gave a heartfelt sigh and started the odd process of dusting Naruto off.

"What the hell teme?.! Do I look disabled to you?" Naruto huffed, feeling like a kid as Sasuke fussed over him.

"Baka, stay still! You've got sand all over you." As Sasuke held Naruto in place, he ruffled Naruto's hair, effectively getting rid of the sand that stuck to his head.

Naruto felt his cheeks burn. "Mother-hen." He mumbled, eyes shut, desperately holding back the blush.

Just as Sasuke finished, their eyes met. "A-ano, Sasuke…"

"Hn?"

'_This is it…' _Naruto thought, blood creeping back to his face. It seemed the world stood still. _'The perfect moment'_

"I- I have something to tell you… Ano… but don't get mad… Ano…"

Right about now, the blond looked like a tan-gone-wrong. He was blushing furiously, eyes roaming all directions, as his feet dug deeper into the sand.

"I really… ah… I think… COLD!" The moment was suddenly shattered as ice-cream made its way to Naruto's shirt.

"WAAHHH!" A little girl, with brown hair tied in pigtails cried over her perished ice-cream that lay a mess on the blond's stomach.

"OKAAA-SAANNN!.! The mean boy took my ice-cream! OKAAA-SAAN!"

"Oy! SHH! What the-! OY!" Having just recovered from the sudden cold feel, Naruto tried desperately to shut the girl up.

"WHHHAAAHH! MEANY! YOU STOLE MY ICE-CREAM!"

"What the HELL?.! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO BUMPED INTO ME!"

"OKAAA-SAAN! THE MEAN BOY IS CALLING ME BLIND!"

"WHAT?.! I DID NOT!"

"OKAA-SAAAN! THE IDIOT'S CALLING ME A LIAR!"

"WHAT THE- SASUKE! SHE'S CALLED ME IDIOT!" Both the little girl and Naruto were now red from anger and frustration. Sparks of electricity flowed from their eyes, engaging in a battle for power. Fists shook and veins throbbed. The clouds seemed to darken and lightning flashed.

The little girl's mother and Sasuke stood dumbfounded, watching the scene play before them.

"He with you?" The mother asked, not taking her eyes off the scene that played before them.

"No."

And all hell broke loose.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?.!" Sasuke froze. _'Shit.'_

"SASUKE TEME! COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE!"

"…"

"BASTARD!" Not receiving an answer, Naruto started shaking the unsuspecting Uchiha.

"Oy! Stop picking on him!" The little girl shouted. It seemed as though the girl found a liking on the now dizzy Uchiha.

"Make me!"

"OKAAA-SAANN!"

**-------------------------------------------------**

"I could've beaten her up if I wanted."

"Hn."

"What? Seriously! I was just worried that I might hurt her!"

"Was that before or after you ran up to me crying because she gave you a 'booboo'?"

"SHE THREW A SHELL AT ME! A SHELL!"

"Must have been agony."

"Well at least I didn't make a big fuss over it!"

"So crying to her mother wasn't a big fuss?"

"No! SHE WAS BEING VIOLENT!"

"Tch."

"I could've sworn she grabbed a fistful of my hair!"

"Let me see." Grabbing the unsuspecting blonds head, Sasuke examined it. "Yup. Looks like you got a bald spot."

"EH?.! WHERE?.!" Feeling his head frantically, Naruto mumbled curses to the little girl. She would pay!

Sasuke shook his head and ghosted a smile. "Baka. You're head is fine."

"TEME!"

**TBC...**

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**AN: I'm REALLY REALLY sorry for taking so long to write- but I've just gone through two weeks of hell… ugh… exam week and the week before was suddenly dubbed "submission-for-everything week". **

**Will poor Naruto get to find that perfect moment? Hehe! Read and find out next time on Tonight's My Eternity! (omg… I sound like a commercial)**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**Oh yeah, I'll try to reply everyone from now on! Someone got mad at me for not replying. Well… not really. Hehe! But still… (Author feels guilty) – _Sigh._**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**Endless Snow** It wasn't a festival but Naruto did convince Sasuke to come right? Hehe!

**Uchihagirl468** WAAW! I'm so flattered! Thank you for reviewing!

**Firefly-the-Wolf** Hmm… Yeah! You gotta point there! Pale ones do seem hotter don't they? They're usually the stoic ones…

**Dark Mousy14** I'm glad you liked it!

**RaitenKitsune** Sorry took forever to update! Please continue to review!

**Sasuke2006** I'm happy you liked it! Thank you for your review!

**Keyblade2121** Ohmigad! Thanks for pointing that out! There! I fixed it! Hehe… Btw, I play alto sax! Please continue to review!

**kpkchq1**I planned on keeping Sasuke a little eh… complicated I guess… hehe! But I'll keep that in mind! Maybe on a different chapter! Thanks for the suggestion!

**frenchiefry666**I'm glad you like it! Pls. keep on reviewing!

**trolly**Yuph! Apparently I do have 50! Now, let's aim for 60, shall we? Hehe!

**InfynitiStar**Waaw! I'm happy it made you laugh…er… squeek! HEHE! I hope this chappie made you squeak too!

**ANNA: YOU FREAK! GET YOUR OWN ACCOUNT! DUDE! JUST REGISTER! I can't believe you reviewed MY story under MY NAME! FREEAKK! **

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**You see that review button over there? Yes… that one… Now click and review… Yesss… That's it! Good reader!**


	11. Lesson 9: Finding That Perfect Moment2

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 11: Lesson Nine: Finding That Perfect Moment (PART 2)**

The setting sun was beginning to disappear casting shadows over the beach. Slowly, what little the sun touched vanished along with the red hues that once graced the soft sands. Slowly, darkness took over.

The evening breeze blew steadily, as a young boy shivered. He sat down beneath the warm sand that tickled his feet. Arms clinging tightly to his legs that were resting by his chest. A dissatisfied sigh escaped his lips.

"_This day just keeps getting better and better." _He thought bitterly. Looking over to the crashing waves, he recalled what had happened earlier.

**Flashback:**

"Sasukeeeh…"

"What now, dobe?"

"I'm hungry!.!"

"Then eat."

"Sasuke teme **(1)**!"

"What?.!"

Puffing his cheeks, Naruto squinted his eyes in irritation. "Your supposed to say something like, "Oh, okay! Let's eat!" Or "Where do you want to eat?" Or maybe even…" Naruto drifted off as he realized the person who he HAD been talking to and HAD been standing next to was nowhere to be found.

Naruto scowled.

"TEEEMMMEEE!"

**-----**

After much argument and convincing on Naruto's part, we find the two teens in a small outdoor café with food (mostly Naruto's order) already set out.

"Can you _(munch)_ believe it?.! When Kiba _(swallow)_ and I found out-"

"Baka! Quit talking with your mouth full!"

"What? Can the great Uchiha not stomach it?" Naruto teased.

Sasuke's eyes went dangerously low.

So did Naruto's.

Sasuke scowled.

So did Naruto.

"Quit that, Uzumaki!"

Naruto giggled. "But Sasuke-chan's so cute when he's angry.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "You did not just call me CUTE, Uzumaki!"

"So KAWAII! **(2)**"

"Tch." Rolling his eyes, Sasuke decided to ignore the blonde teen in front of him.

"_Must resist strangling". _He thought, as his fingers began to twitch.

Just than, realization loomed over Naruto. _"This has GOT to be it!" _He thought, as his hands began to sweat. _"The PERFECT MOMENT!"_

"Ano… Sasuke…"

"_ShitShitShit! How to start, how to start?.!" _

"What?"

Now Sasuke was worried. Naruto looked about ready to faint, from what, he did not know. Pale faced, and shaky, Sasuke really was regretting coming to the beach.

With a shaky breath, the blond sighed. _"Just do it! Just do it!"_

"Ano…"

"_Kami-sama! I'm so nervous!"_

"_What the HELL?.! UZUMAKI NARUTO NERVOUS?.! COMMON BAKA! GET IT OVERWITH…quickly!" _

"IthinkIreallyrea-"

Sasuke rushed over to the blond who was now gasping for air.

"BAKA! I told you not to talk with your mouth full!"

**End of Flashback**

Naruto turned red as he recalled what had happened earlier.

"_Shit." _He thought. _"I'm such a loser!" _Grabbing a fistful of his hair, he pulled as embarrassment took over. _"Okay, that's not helping"._

He sighed. How was he supposed to know the stupid cheesecake would've gotten stuck in his throat?.!

"_Kami-sama! So embarrassing!" _He recalled Sasuke shaking him until he was ready to throw up. But the damn cheesecake was persistent! It just refused to leave his throat! He recalled the world looking hazy, and with one loud cough, the cheesecake went flying out of his mouth. Then, all was right in the world. Wonderful, wonderful air!

…Or so he thought. Apparently, Sasuke did not enjoy coughed up cheesecake which he had found nestled up on his shirt.

Too bad Naruto did. The blond had laughed at Sasuke's scowling face, near death experience forgotten. Apparently, Sasuke too forgot about Naruto's near death experience because seconds later, the blond had found an angry hand around his throat.

Naruto scowled. He could never seem to tell Sasuke. The gods had to be against him!

"_First the incident with the girl, then the stupid cheesecake and ugh…And then there was this afternoon…"_

**Flashback:**

"Damn it TEME! GET IN!"

"I said no!"

"Sasukeeeeeeee!"

"Usuratonkachi."

"TEME! Don't call me that!"

"Tch. Dobe."

"Common Sasuke!"

"I said no, idiot!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

Stomping off in defeat, Naruto kicked at the sand. _"Stupid teme!" _You see, Naruto had been trying to get the stubborn Uchiha to get in the water with him. It was a nice day to bathe, so why couldn't the stupid bastard just get in?.!

He sighed in defeat, and grumpily sat on the warm sand.

**Enter: Naruto Daydream Mode!**

"Sasuke-chan! Let's swim!" came a very excited Naruto.

"Oh! Of course, anything for you, my adorable love!" Latching onto the blond, Sasuke and Naruto happily skipped to the ocean water.

"Oh, Sasuke-chan! I'm so happy!"

"Naruchan! I too am happy!" With tears streaming down his face, Sasuke captured Naruto in a bear hug. "I do not know how I've lived for this long without you!"

"Oh, Sasuke-chan! Tell me more!"

"Naruchan… I love you!"

"Sasuke-chan! I love you too!"

"Really Naruchan?.! I feel like the happiest man alive!"

giggle "You're embarrassing me, Sasuke-chan!"

"Naruto, can I… Can I kiss you?"

"Oh, Sasuke! You're so bold! Your making me blush!"

"You are so beautiful, Naruto."

_Insert: birds chirping, sun setting and orchestra playing_

Closer, their lips went…

"Naruto…"

"Sasuke..."

"Naruto…"

"Sasuke…"

"OY! NARUTO!"

"OW!"

**END: Naruto Day Dream Mode (3)**

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, TEME?.!"

"Usuratonkachi! I'm leaving."

"Na-nani?.!"

Peering over to Sasuke's retreating back, he puffed his cheeks in indecision. Sasuke was going to get in that water whether he like it or not. May the gods have mercy on his soul if he thought otherwise!

With a determined nod, Naruto tackled the unsuspecting dark haired youth landing with a loud thud on the sand.

"WHAT THE HELL?.!" Gritting his teeth in utter frustration, the Uchiha tried desperately to pry the blond's arms off his shoulder. "NARUTO! Off. Now."

"No."

"OFF!"

"Humph! Bite me." Which was what the Uchiha did.

"OW TEME! WHAT THE HELL _Strangle _ WAS THAT FOR?.!"

"Exactly what _ugh_ YOU wanted!"

"BAS- _pull_ TARD!"

"USURATON _slap_ KACHI!"

"UGH!"

Somewhere between the biting and the wrestling, a small crowd had gathered around the two.

"Yeah! The hot one's winning!" A random girl shouted.

"No, the sexy one over there's gonna kick his balls and grind it to pieces."

"GRANDMA, THAT'S GROSS!"

Everyone sweat dropped.

"TE-ME! I'LL WI…PE THAT kick SMIRK OFF ugh YO…UR FACE!"

"Not before you- pant grind my smack balls to pieces, ne NARUCHAN?"

Naruto paused.

Sasuke smirked.

Naruto blushed.

Sasuke attacked.

"TEEEEMMEEEEE!"

"Why, Naruchaaan… You're face's all red. I wonder…"

"SHUTUP TEME!.!"

A sound of a whistle brought both boys to a halt. "ALRIGHT YOU TWO, break it off!"

"Eh?" Heads turning to the sound of the voice, two pairs of eyes twitched.

There, clad in bright green was the scariest excuse for a human.

"It brings such passion to my ever-youthful emotions to see boys such as you so energetic and full of life! But, I must be the adult here and break such a wonderfully youthful display of emotion!" Tears began to drip from the mans face like an overturned faucet.

"Uhm… Okay." Not knowing what else to do, both boys ran like they've never ran before.

**-----**

There were moments in Sasuke's life where he thought, _"How the hell did I manage to get myself into this?"_ which is probably why we find him thinking the same thing, as the obnoxious blond swam around him.

Around and around, the blond swam.

A vain popped on his forehead. _"TO HELL WITH THIS" _Grabbing hold of the blonds shoulders, he managed to dunk the irritation away.

"TEME!" Naruto cried out as he desperately gasped for air. Deciding to tackle the Uchiha to the ocean floor, Naruto pounced on the dark haired youth.

Unfortunately, Sasuke did not lose footing. Too bad…

Now stuck in a very promising position, Naruto found himself wrapped up in the Uchiha's arms, with his legs snuggled around Sasuke's waist.

Two faces turned red. One mind thought NOW!

"Sasuke…"

An elegant eyebrow arched.

"I… I like- _pfffffft_"

Bubbles sprang from the ocean.

"NARUTO! DID YOU JUST FART?.!"

"EH?.!"

"YOU NASTY!"

"WHAT?.! TEME! I BET YOU FART ALL THE TIME TOO!"

"WELL CERTAINLY NOT IN THIS SITUATION, I WOULDN'T!"

"_HMPH!"_

"Only you would fart at a time like this, Uzumaki!"

Not sure whether to tease the blond further, Sasuke stomped off laughing.

**End of Flashback**

Once again, Naruto was filled with embarrassment. _"Strike three" _he thought bitterly.

Lying on his back, Naruto looked up to the sky that was now filled with an unbounded number of stars.

He sighed in defeat as he reached out to the stars.

"One… Two… Three…" he began, pointing one by one at the sky.

"Baka, you won't be able to count all the stars like that." A soft voice startled Naruto.

"Sasuke…" He whispered.

"It'll take forever to do so." Sitting down, the Uchiha too peered up at the stars.

"It's alright. Forever's a long time, isn't it?"

"Hn."

"I can wait." Silence followed, as both boys were lost in their own thoughts.

"Lay with me?" Naruto gazed over to Sasuke, who nodded and set next to Naruto.

"I feel so small." Naruto thought aloud.

Not moving his gaze from the stars, Sasuke asked, "Why's that?"

"There's so many of them up there, ne?"

"Yeah…"

"LOOK! LOOK! Sasuke! A falling star!" Excitedly pointing over to the sky, Naruto turned over to Sasuke. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the Uchiha smile.

"When I was small…" Sasuke began. "Okaasan would bring me to the park…"

Naruto smiled. _"It's the first time he's shared anything."_

"We'd watch the stars together. She'd tell me to make a wish every time we'd see a falling star."

Almost inaudibly, Naruto whispered, "What was it you wished for, Sasuke?"

"…"

Receiving no answer from his companion, Naruto sat up, and looked down at Sasuke questionably.

Still looking up at the stars, Sasuke's eyes softened. "… Eternity."

"Eternity?"

"Hn."

Sasuke snorted. "Baka, what's with that look?"

"Sasuke's so hard to understand sometimes." Naruto giggled; face inching closer to the Uchiha.

"I don't expect you to."

"But I want to."

Under the immaculate stars above and wrapped by the gentle breeze of the cool night's air, both boys experienced their first kiss.

**TBC**

**-------------------------------------------------**

**I so need to figure this out once and for all. "Teme" could mean bastard or a rude form of "you" right? Or does it just mean "you"? **

**Huhuhuhuh T.T I feel so utterly confused! **

**Is that the correct spelling?**

**(3) Oh Lord. How many of you died from all the sappiness?.!**

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**AN: Omg… I know! I know! I'm sorry I've abandoned writing for a while but before you decide to skin me alive, let me offer you my apologies!.! HEHE! SORRRRY! WAH! I felt so out of tune while writing this so I hope it wasn't bad!**

**Again, I'm realllly sorry! **

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**So how was it? FINALLY they kiss! YAY! I'm sorry if there are grammatical errors and stuff- I'm too lazy to look over this since I'm excited to FINALLY be able to post stuff again! YAY ME! R&R please!**

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Endless Snow: Oh really?.! What a mean girl! I haven't had any girl throw stuff at me… although I did experience getting run over (well not really… just … bumped) by a bike by my 10year old neighbor. HEE. It was a fairly odd experience.

Ly Mizukage & Sasuke2006:

I guess being sugar-high reflects on my writing! YAY!

trolly: Hmm… Apparently so! Yay! That definitely made my day!

Inu.Roxs: WAAW! I'm so glad you liked it!

Uchihagirl468: aww man. Now I feel so lousy with you pouting and having to wait! I haven't updated in a long time… I'll try to update even sooner next time!

InfynitiStar: Maybe I should be more discrete in laughing too… thinks to self NVM… laughing is something I could never hold in! I envy you!

inu-luvver10 & RaitenKitsune:

Aww man! More people to make me guilty! SORRRY for taking so long! But I'm really happy you enjoyed reading!

LadyLiv: Yeah! I thought so too! I'll ask around just to make sure! Ty!

EverPlotting: YAY! Your laughing! (lol! Im just greatful!)

I'mYourHottieFanGirl: mwah to you too? Hehe

Princess Teah: WAAAW!! Thank you for your review! Getting terrific you say?.? evil laugh That made me feel fuzzy inside! Lol! Hee!

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**Thank you to all the people who reviewed! I really, really appreciated it! **

**Make a person happy. Call 1-9800- review! Oooh Be nice okay!**

**Common… common! Ya know ya want to!**


	12. Lesson 10: How to be Rejected

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Though I wish I did… Life is unfair. sigh**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 12: Lesson Ten: How to be rejected**

_"I know I have a heart, because I can feel it breaking."_

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Sasuke's eyes widened at the feel of Naruto's lips upon his. "GET OFF!" He shouted with a raspy voice. Reflexes taking over, he shoved at Naruto's chest.

Only the crashing of the waves could be heard as the two boys stared at each other wide-eyed. "S-Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was shaky as he tried to reach over to the dark haired boy. What had he done wrong?

"Don't touch me!" Sasuke hissed as he slapped at Naruto's hand. The other boy stood frozen, staring blankly at his hand.

There was an awkward moment of silence before Naruto finally spoke up, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry… I didn't think-"

"You didn't think at all!" Sasuke snapped as he glared daggers at Naruto. His breathing was ragged; posture stiff.

Once again, silence followed, as Naruto stood there with slumped shoulders. He could feel his eyes sting. God, this wasn't the way he thought it'd turn out to be. He already blew it thrice, like hell he'd give up this easily. With determined eyes, he stared over to the dark haired boy.

"I-I really like you, Sasuke."

If Sasuke were shocked, Naruto would never know for his face was void of emotions. His posture loosened slightly as he drew out a short sigh. He stared up at the moon, refusing to look at the blond who now was trembling, holding in unshed tears.

Naruto was beyond fearful as to how the Uchiha would react. He was frustrated, anxious and completely unnerved. _PleasePleasePlease! _He chanted repeatedly, not knowing exactly what he was beseeching for. He held on to his arm with cold shaky hands, hoping to find some stability for he knew his legs would give in any moment now.

"I can't accept your feelings." He stated finally. That line was declared simply, as though talking about the weather to a random person. Casually, was one way to put it.

Placing his hands in his pockets, he said monotonously, "You're wasting your time on foolish desires." And without even sparing a glance at the blond, he turned to leave.

All throughout Sasuke's rejection, Naruto stood lifeless. Each word stung. Each word brought him closer and closer to tears. Thoughts zoomed in and out of his mind, though none made sense nor did Naruto know what they were about.

Dropping to his knees, he stared blankly at Sasuke's thinning form. Naruto wanted to call out to Sasuke. Naruto wanted to wipe that smug look from him. But no matter what he wanted to do to the retreating boy, he found himself frozen to the ground.

_So what do you do, when it all falls apart?_

How long Naruto stayed on the beach, he would never recall, for that felt like a daze to him. How he managed to get home, he wouldn't know, for he saw nothing.

Opening the front door, he went in, and instantly, he was washed with emotions. Feeling that nasty bite of loneliness, he fell to his bed, and desperately clutched onto his pillow. And for the first time that night, Naruto began to cry.

**------------------------------------------------**

Itachi lay sprawled on the couch, flipping the channels lazily.

"Crap."

"Stupid flick-chicks"

"Corny fuck."

"Like hell I'd watch you."

Sighing in frustration, Itachi threw the remote to the table glaring daggers at the TV. Why was there nothing good to watch?.! Idly, he got up and headed to the DVD rack. Browsing at the numerous collections of movies, Itachi finally picked one entitled "Girls gone wild"

Having inserted it on the DVD player, Itachi slumped down on the couch with a perverted grin on his face. Minutes within the movie, Itachi had the perverted grin wiped into a "dirty old man" look.

"Yeah baby! Shake that booty!" Mouth drooling, Itachi began bopping his head at the song.

Itachi began to sing along, head bouncing from side to side. "I like it when you do it right thurr! Hmmmm hmm hmmm HURR!" Not knowing the lyrics, he hummed along until he came upon something familiar. "Hmm Hmmmmm hmmm. I like it when you do it right THURR! Hmmmm hmm hmmm STIRR!"

"Yeah! Bring that sexiness over to papa!" Itachi exclaimed, eyes glued to the girls dancing in the TV. Oh man! Was this fun!

The pervert within Itachi seemed to heighten as his sugar high did likewise. "Hihihihihi!" He certainly should have thought of playing this sooner since Sasuke was gone!

"Ahh well!" He thought. "If Sasuke comes back in, he'll just have to endure it!" Itachi smirked at the thought. Sasuke would certainly have a fit if he'd caught Itachi watching dirty movies. Itachi laughed aloud. "Poor kid… He might drop dead if he ever…" the train of thought disappeared and Itachi frowned.

No longer stuck in the frenzy of perverted ness, Itachi sat, watching the rest of the movie in silence. Just then, his cell phone rang. Grumpily reaching for it, he hissed a quick 'hello'.

"Nisan..." Itachi's grumpy expression faltered as panic rose. His brother's weak voice sent alarms ringing in his head.

"Sasuke! What the hell's the matter?.! Where are you?.!" He asked, voice edgy and distressed. His grip on his phone tightened.

"Park." Was all Sasuke uttered, voice barely audible.

"Sasuke! HANG ON. I'll be right there!" Itachi hung up instantly, and hurriedly gathered a few things.

"_KUSO!"_

**------------------------------------------------**

Itachi's tires screeched as he turned the corner. _"Where the hell is he?.!" _Itachi thought in strain. The park was huge and he regretted not asking exactly where. He cursed the park for being so dark. A figure huddled on the park bench caught his attention and he stopped his car immediately. Recognizing the figure, Itachi slammed at the car door.

"SASUKE!" Running over to the motionless figure, he prayed to whomever god was watching over them. _Please let him be okay…_

"SASUKE!" Itachi grabbed his brother as gently as he could, checking to see if he was okay. Sasuke was shivering violently and his whole body was cold. Itachi gently shook Sasuke just to wake him.

"Nisan…" Sasuke panted out as he opened his eyes lazily. He was having trouble breathing. His chest hurt and he was dizzy. Everything felt hazy. By far, this had to be one of the worst he'd ever had.

Itachi could not hide his fret and did not try to. "Drink." He said, voice quivering. He grabbed the pills that he had taken on his way out and a bottle of water. Having helped his brother take them, he wrapped his jacket over the shivering boy.

He held his brother to his chest, rocking him back and forth. Oh god, he felt like crying. These attacks kept happening too frequently. Back then, they weren't as strong. Back then, they were controlled.

Sasuke began to convulse slightly as tears gathered in his eyes. His eyebrows scrunched up together and he bit his lip to keep from crying out. His grip on Itachi's hand tightened and he cried out, not being able to suppress himself.

"Sasuke, please stop shivering." Itachi asked almost pleadingly. His grip tightened on Sasuke's form as the tears flowed freely. He knew saying such wouldn't help, but his nerves were going haywire.

The medicine began to kick in minutes later and Sasuke found himself feeling slightly better. "Nisan…" Sasuke spoke, voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you crying?" His words were slow as he tried his best to speak. That tightness he'd been feeling earlier had dispersed, leaving him out of breath and completely tired.

"Your Nisan worries about you Sasuke." Itachi's voice was strained, as they continued to rock back and forth. _"I worry that I might lose you..." _Itachi added though he never said that a loud.

A gentle wind blew caressing the two brothers and with a soft sigh, Itachi thanked the gods that he had managed to make it on time.

**------------------------------------------------**

**I was young but I wasn't naive  
I watched helpless as he turned around to leave  
and still I have the pain I have to carry  
a past so deep that even you could not bury if you tried**

after all this time  
I never thought we'd be here  
never thought we'd be here  
when my love for you was blind  
but I couldn't make you see it  
couldn't make you see it  
that I loved you more than you'll ever know  
a part of me died when I let you go

I would fall asleep  
only in hopes of dreaming  
that everything would be like is was before  
but nights like this it seems are slowly fleeting  
they disappear as reality is crashing to the floor

after all this time  
I never thought we'd be here  
never thought we'd be here  
when my love for you was blind  
but I couldn't make you see it  
couldn't make you see it  
that I loved you more than you'll ever know  
a part of me died when I let you go

after all this time  
would you ever wanna leave it  
maybe you could not believe it  
that my love for you was blind  
but I couldn't make you see it  
couldn't make you see it  
that I loved you more than you will ever know  
a part of me died when I let you go  
and I loved you more than you'll ever know  
a part of me dies when I let you go

**-----Blind - Lifehouse**

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**AN**: Yay! Another chapter! I was planning to write this earlier but I decided to work on my other fic (– a change of …err… scenery I guess…) and… schools been dumping shitloads of work so ugh. Sorry for the long wait.

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**Inu.Roxs** Yeah! Though… too bad it ended horribly. (Bad author! Bad!) thank you for reviewing!

**k1ta.ky0ko** AWW!!! Thanks! Hehe! Yeah! There's a little drama and maybe some angst. Though I'm not much of a drama/angst writer. sigh

**LadyLiv:** Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

**Julian Snape** Yeah… I am putting conflict in their love story (as you can see) but I'm not that evil so don't worry! THEY SHALL BE TOGETHER SOON! Oh, and the next chappie involves much Neiji moments! Thank you for your suggestion! And yay! I'm happy you liked my fic!

**Princess Teah** I had such a fun time writing that scene. HEHE! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**Sasuke2006** Thanks for your constant reviews! YAY! HUGS!

**RaitenKitsune** sorry took so long! pouts Thank you for reviewing!

**Firefly-the-Wolf** Hehe! Happy you liked! Thanks for the review!


	13. Lesson 11: A game of Chess

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: Don't own nothin!**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 13: Lesson Eleven: A game of Chess **

"_Sometimes the hardest things to let go of are the things you never really had…"_

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It was rather cold outside and dawn had yet to arrive. Cool, crisp air unsettled the dark curtains that hung loosely on the window. Neiji shivered as the morning air touched his skin. He fumbled around for his blanket that had snaked its way around his legs. Pulling the covers up, he snuggled **(1)** to the welcoming warmth it provided.

Sighing contently, he was about to drift back to sleep when- '_RINGG' – _his cell phone rang. Figuring that the device would stop shortly, he chose to ignore it drawing his pillow closer to his head.

'_Ring'_

His eyebrows knotted in irritation as he took hold of his pillow, violently covering his head in hopes of keeping the ringing out. What person with common sense would call this fricken' early?.! Whoever it was would have to wait. Sleep was too important to pass off.

'_RINGGG'_ pushing the pillow with more vigor, he scooted farther away from where the noise was presumably coming from. He mentally berated himself for not turning the thing off. He'd slept late and needed to wake up early for heavens sake! He had school in a few hours. He could manage to squeeze three more hours of sleep if the damned device would just shut up.

A moment of silence followed and Neiji smiled awkwardly to himself. _"Good." _He thought. _"The person has a sense of decency."_ He released he grip on the pillow and lazily repositioned himself. His eyes felt heavy and the room began to blur as sleep overtook him.

'_RIIIIINGG' _His eyes snapped open

"Godamnit!" Glaring daggers over to his phone, he wished the person a very, very painful death. Whoever it was would definitely get a piece of his mind! His covers flew off as he marched angry steps towards the innocent device that lay on his study table. Muttering curses as the phone vibrated along the table.

He picked it up none to softly and shoved it to his ear as he grit his teeth in complete aggravation. His nose was flaring. -He could feel it. No one disturbs Hyuuga Neiji from his beauty sleep. No one!

"WHAT?" was his angry greeting.

"Gomen, Neiji." Came the tired voice at the other end. It was Itachi. Or at least it sounded like Itachi, only less… Itachi like.

Anger vanishing, Neiji was replaced with utter confusion. Why on earth would Itachi call this early in the morning… something must have happened. Itachi never called unless it was pressing or an emergency. Something was definitely up to rattle the generally composed Uchiha.

"Sasuke's in the hospital." And suddenly, all thoughts of sleep vanished, leaving Neiji trapped in a moment of shock.

**-------------------------------------------------**

The walls were white and sufficiently lit with florescent lights. The walls stretched onwards, littered with room numbers and wooden doors. Nurses, dressed in stiff white dresses passed composedly about, their shoes making the only noise in the area. The air gave off a hygienic scent, faint, though still displeasing to the nose.

Neiji sat uncomfortably on the hospitals plastic chair watching people come and go. His hair was somewhat disheveled, having rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. He'd put on a shirt and jeans, not caring which in his haste.

Next to Neiji sat Itachi, composure stiffer than a plank. His hands were crossed along his broad chest and his feet awkwardly rooted to the white marble floor. His dark eyes were narrow, as though in deep thought and his whole appearance screamed fatigue.

Neiji had arrived quite a while ago and the two had yet to speak. Finally, Neiji glanced over to his side clearing his throat before he addressed Itachi.

"What triggered it?" he asked voice straightforward.

Itachi regarded Neiji briefly before looking straight ahead.

"I don't know. This has been the worst one." Itachi sighed as pinched the bridge of his nose.

Neiji stared at Itachi's troubled features before drawing out a long breath. "What's going to happen now?" He asked as he looked down at the floor, refusing to meet Itachi's eyes.

Itachi swallowed the lump in his throat as he recalled the events earlier. He'd found Sasuke half conscious in the park. Had he been any later, Sasuke would've been in greater danger, if not dead. Itachi flinched at the thought.

Sasuke had been born with heart complications. The doctors had told them that through time it would most likely withdraw, given proper medication and care. They tried that, Kami-sama did they try, but it seemed to get worse as the years went on.

They had treated Sasuke with medication, quite a number too. Itachi vaguely recalled a six year old Sasuke scowling at the large set of pills that their mother would give him every morning. He'd whine and continuously stall the pill-taking process everyday until Fugoku would snap at him.

For seven years they had constantly sent him for examinations, in high hopes of Sasuke's recovery, but every time, they'd be faced with the doctors sad response.

Eventually, their father had had enough. Being the impatient man he was he readily gave up on his impaired son, looking only favorably at Itachi. Eyes filled with frustration, loathing and disappointment had always been directed over to Sasuke when it came to their father. Ultimately, Sasuke, being but a boy then, developed slight loathing and jealousy towards his older brother.

Itachi didn't blame him though. Instead, it dismayed Itachi knowing Sasuke was hurting not only physically, but also emotionally.

Up until their parent's death, Sasuke never managed to recover, only worsening his condition. Doctors had advised for a heart transplant though ironically, Itachi opposed. Both would be a losing choice either way. Tempt fate or go with it. Sasuke had been given a thirty percent chance success rate if he were to undergo surgery, a slim chance but a chance nonetheless. But Itachi denied, being the selfish man he was. It wasn't because he wanted Sasuke to suffer, heavens no… But he'd rather lose Sasuke knowing he lived all he could, rather than gamble his life and lose it through just one night.

Regret was the chief factor on both sides. Regret that he didn't spare Sasuke the chance to live, or regret that he killed Sasuke through the failed surgery.

He'd asked Sasuke often, knowing that it was his choice eventually, about what he thought of the surgery. However, all the boy would do was shrug it off and let Itachi do the thinking. Indecision was weighing Itachi down, and it was the very same indecision that chiseled at Itachi's mind.

Letting out a long breath, Itachi looked up at the ceiling, face full of contemplation. "It's up to him." He finally pointed out. "He has to decide this time."

**-------------------------------------------------**

Neiji tiredly dragged himself to his math class, his books at hand. Itachi had told him to go to school and advising him to visit later since the doctors still refused to allow them in. It would still take quite a while before they did, most likely to allow Sasuke more rest.

Neiji cringed as the cold metal knob made contact with his hands. Turning it, he entered, preparing himself for the orange burst of energy that threw itself at him every morning.

Surprisingly, none came. There were no overactive greetings, obnoxious smothering nor were their any suffocating hugs that squeezed the living hell off him. After the luxurious amount of sleep he had, (note: sarcasm), he wouldn't be surprised if he'd just faint from one of Naruto's death hugs. He raised an eyebrow questioningly as he scanned through the room. Eyes settling on one uncharacteristically gloomy blond, Neiji made his way over.

Naruto's head was perched on his arm that lay clumsily above his desk. His eyes that held so much vigor and carelessness looked unusually dark and lost in contemplation. His hair was tussled, he had dark bags under his eyes and his face lacked their usually healthy color. A small, sadistic part of Neiji cheered, happy that he wasn't the only one who felt like shit run over; Though another, a much greater part, felt deep concern for the blond tormented mess.

"I thought it'd be a sunny day out." Neiji began. "But it seems the storm has formed and is inconveniently above your head."

Naruto looked up, eyes questioning. "You've lost it." He said as he slumped back down.

'_So much for that approach.' _ Neiji grumbled gracelessly to himself. "Alright Naruto." Neiji sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Eh?" Cocking his head to the side, Naruto shattered his gloomy appearance cleverly feigning a questioning look.

Neiji gave him an incredulous look.

"Oh. HAHA! That… I was just testing you!" Came the utterly pathetic reply as Naruto forced his fox-like grin to place.

Neiji rolled his eyes. _'idiot' _he thought tiredly. _'if he doesn't want to tell me, I won't force him... At least not yet.' _

Of course Neiji was deeply concerned for his friend and would have tried prying it out of the blond out of nature. But because he was too tired to function, Neiji didn't bother.

Besides, Naruto made it painfully clear that it was something he'd rather not talk about. With that in mind, Neiji let it slide and sat himself on his desk. He'd get the blond to talk later. Right now, his desk seemed too inviting.

**-------------------------------------------------**

The generally bubbly blond had been brooding all day. Something was definitely up and Neiji would pry it out of Naruto, even if it was the last thing he did!

During their morning classes, Naruto had done nothing but stare blankly out the window. His eyes were dark, his features were gloomy, and Neiji was sure he saw a dark fog encircling around the broody blond.

Teachers had been calling for Naruto's attention repeatedly but were only replied with soft apologies. Neiji had been surprised none sent him to the principals office or detention. But then again, Naruto looked like crap so teachers must have taken pity on him.

Through recess, Naruto's depressing mood didn't alter. He just sat and pretended to listen to what Kiba and the others were chatting on about. Shikamaru had been the first to notice, what with Kiba too absorbed in talking and Chouji in eating. Shikamaru had asked Naruto if he felt all right, but Naruto forced a rough smile while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and claimed his stomach hurt. With that, Naruto excused himself and made a beeline towards the "bathroom".

Throughout the rest of the day, Naruto was either brooding over at a corner or giving off fake smiles. This drove Neiji at wits end. So during dismissal, he had come to a conclusion. He'd get the blond to talk, no matter what it took!

Neiji had approached Naruto just a while ago insisting the blond to walk with him. At first, Naruto had been reluctant saying he had a lot of homework to do but with Neiji's stern attitude and manipulative skills, the blond gave in with a defeated sigh. So here they both were, walking along one of the many parks in Konoha.

Though the sun was setting, light still graced the sky painting orange hues on the park bellow. There were wondering birds and a few random leaves flying across the sky. It was relatively windy, though not distractingly so. Tall unkempt grass rustled beneath there feat as both boys chose a spot and sat down.

Neiji crossed his legs and took in the sight before him. The lake was beautiful and vast. It was fairly big, though very still. Neiji felt at peace just staring at the lake that gave appeared to radiate tranquility. And suddenly, the thought slipped from his mind as a small stone plopped in it, sending a series of ripples in the clear waters.

Neiji looked over to the root cause of the thrown stone. Naruto was fidgety and clearly uncomfortable with such a hushed place. He picked another stone and threw it aggressively to the calming waters, again, sending ripples through it.

Neiji sighed. "This has gone far enough, Naruto." He finally said, voice calm and composed.

Naruto averted from the eyes he knew were looking straight at him. He smiled another strained smile and began picking at the grass beneath him. "I don't understand what you're getting at, Neiji." He said, feigning confusion.

Neiji was perceptive and saw through it all. He saw the way Naruto's lips quivered, as he picked his words carefully. He saw through the fake smile that threatened to falter and break. He saw the way Naruto picked at the grass as though insecure. Most of all, he saw the way Naruto's eyes radiated sadness and the red that began forming due to the unshed tears that had began to gather.

"There's something bothering you. Tell me." It wasn't a demand, nor was it a threat. It was Neiji, and his warm invitation to console his troubled friend.

The winds blew and the trees rustled. The sun had halfway set.

"I tried telling him." Came the whispered reply.

Neiji caught on. "Him" meant Sasuke and "tried" meant confessing ended poorly.

Neiji urged Naruto to continue through a graceful nod.

Naruto drew his knees to his chest and held on tight. "He got angry." Naruto took in a shaky breath as his tears threatened to fall. The last thing he wanted was to recall Sasuke's cold eyes and distant tone. Sasuke had hurt him. He hurt Naruto a lot. Maybe it was wrong for him to believe that Sasuke would accept a worthless idiot like him.

Naruto knew he could be rash and obnoxious sometimes. He was too energetic and annoyed the hell out of people. He was a complete failure in all aspects. He neither had the good looks that girls fawned over, nor did he have the intelligence that people would look up too. He could be clumsy and careless at times, but at least he had always been good to people. That counted, right?

Sasuke didn't want him, he could understand that. Sasuke didn't need him, he knew that. But Sasuke didn't have to act that way towards him. Naruto was hurting and really bad too. He had experienced the worst things a person you love could do to you. Rejection.

Naruto knew it was worthless to cry and brood for so long over something as trivial as rejection, but it wasn't rejection in the form of "sorry", rather what seemed like pure disgust and detestation. And that's what really hurt. Sasuke wouldn't even look at him, heck, he hadn't even gone to school. The least Naruto wanted to keep was their friendship and Sasuke's companionship… But it seemed he had lost that too.

"I didn't mean to, Neiji. I really didn't!" Naruto had began to cry now, holding onto his legs even tighter. "He's mad and I'm sorry! I really, really am sorry!" Naruto started to shake as his tears began to flood down his cheeks.

Neiji's eyes softened as he held onto the boy, in high hopes to comfort. "Hush, it's not your fault…" Though Neiji did not know what happened, he had a vague idea of what did. He knew Sasuke and knew what Sasuke was like. Sasuke was distant, serious and arrogant. He was unfriendly, frank and could be very hurtful if he chose to be. But Sasuke had his reasons, Neiji knew, but the sight of the broken blond in his arms made him want loose all reasoning on Sasuke's side.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry…" Naruto repeated like a mantra as Neiji tried soothing him. Rocking Naruto back and fourth, he began petting the blond hair.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Neiji grumbled as he walked over to Konoha's hospital. His arms were painful from carrying Naruto home. Back at the lake, Neiji had been desperately trying to calm the bawling blond and when he did, Naruto had chosen that particular moment to fall asleep. Neiji was about to try nudging the blond awake, but right before he did he realized that if Naruto woke up, he'd have another round of desperate calming to do. So, picking the lesser of the two evils, Neiji decided to carry the blond home. Though Naruto _looked_ small, he sure as hell didn't feel small. Either Neiji had scrawny arms or all the ramen Naruto ate over the years were magically stashed somewhere in his body. Neiji concluded it was the latter. He refused to believe he was femininely scrawny!

The elevator's high pitched ding brought him out of his musings as the doors opened and he stepped out. Walking the white sanitary hallways of the hospital, Neiji stopped as he saw Itachi walk towards him.

"Where are you going?" Neiji asked after regarding Itachi with a small nod.

Itachi nodded back. His hair was slightly messy and his composure screamed fatigue. He was definitely in a poorer condition then Neiji had been a while back.

"I need some fresh air. You're free to visit him." And with that, he walked past Neiji and towards the elevator.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Neiji continued until he reached Sasuke's door. Turning the metal knob, he entered. There was a soft rustle of sheets as he turned to close the door.

He walked over to Sasuke's bed smirking at his older cousin. "You look like hell." He said with a scoff.

Though Neiji's comment was but a playfull insult, it didn't sway far from the truth. Sasuke looked horrible. He was sitting on the hospital bed, back reclined on the pillows. His hair was down, no longer in its usual neat spiky style. He had dark bags under his eyes which made Neiji's look small and insignificant. His lips were dry and dull and he looked completely unhealthy. Though Sasuke was naturally pale, he wasn't supposed to be blending in with the hospitals crisp white sheets.

"Tch. Your one to talk." Sasuke said as he eyed Neiji, voice low and somewhat raspy.

Neiji gave him a smug look, glad that Sasuke was still Sasuke. "For someone who almost died, you certainly act well." Neiji sat down at the end of Sasuke's bed.

For a moment, Sasuke's eyes held bitter contemplation. "Yeah." He frowned but then looked thoughtful. "Guess I almost did."

A moment of silence settled between the two boys, both mulling over their own thoughts. Sasuke peered out the window on his right, looking at nothing in particular. It was dark but the street below was well lit. Other buildings provided light for the dull streets. It was only eight in the evening, but there were only a few people who passed by and random cars that sped along.

Neiji cleared his throat, successfully grabbing Sasuke's attention. "I was with Naruto today." Neiji finally spoke.

Though people normally wouldn't have noticed, Neiji saw Sasuke's eyes widen slightly, reflecting quiet emotions. "Good for you." He said monotonously, voice devoid of emotion.

"He seemed sad all day so…" Neiji waited for Sasuke to react, but seeing none, he continued. "We went for a walk and ended up at the lake."

Searching for even the slightest twitch, Neiji frowned when Sasuke showed nothing. If he hadn't known Sasuke as he did, he would've mistaken Sasuke's indifference for not paying attention. But Neiji knew better. Sasuke was never one for displaying emotions but deep down, Neiji knew he was listening. Both ears were definitely wide open.

"He looked so bad." Neiji continued, inwardly smiling when Sasuke gripped on the hospital sheets. "I asked what was wrong, but…" Neiji drifted off, appearing to be in deep reflection. By now, Sasuke had had an iron grip on the sheets, his white knuckles proof for it.

"He started crying." Sasuke's face was still impassive and blank as a piece paper, though his composure told otherwise. His grip on the unfortunate sheets never faltered and his poise was rigid. "He looked broken…" Neiji said, his eyes never leaving Sasuke for even an instant.

Sasuke twitched.

"Stop." Sasuke hissed, still not making eye contact with the boy sitting next to him. He'd heard enough.

"He kept saying sorry…" Neiji continued, ignoring Sasuke completely. "He said…"

"Stop it, Hyuuga." Sasuke interjected, his voice trembling. "Stop."

"No." Neiji's eyes narrowed dangerously low. He was definitely angry now. "What did you tell him, Uchiha?"

His eyes hardened as he stared at Sasuke with much intensity. "Do you have any idea how much you hurt him?.!"

Neiji was quickly loosing his composure. He didn't mean to, but as he recalled the way Naruto trembled in his arms, he couldn't help but berate his bastard of a cousin, hospitalized or not.

Sasuke stayed quiet throughout Neiji's uncharacteristic outburst, though he knew he had it coming. He stayed silent. He knew he deserved it.

"Dammit!" Neiji muttered, not getting the response he had expected from Sasuke. He'd been anticipating sneering, shouting and glaring on Sasuke's side, but none came. Instead, Sasuke sat there, incredibly motionless and stiff. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs and he was slightly trembling. For a minute, Neiji regretted his outburst, thinking Sasuke would have another attack. But Sasuke just sat silent, and listened like an obedient child.

It brought on memories for Neiji seeing Sasuke look so raw and unguarded by his smug mask. He remembered the young carefree boy he used to play with, the boy who often smiled and resembled a little of Naruto's optimism. But that was before Fugoku had lost faith in him.

The old gentle Sasuke that Neiji knew had disappeared into the thick walls of stoic smugness. Sasuke became cold, distant and sometimes, heartless.

Neiji never got Sasuke to react since then, often gaining icy glares from the boy. But Naruto had come and slowly, and rather forcefully, pealed Sasuke's walls away. It was obvious that Sasuke felt deeply for the boy, which was why Neiji was angry. He had chosen to hurt Naruto when his heart screamed otherwise. He had hurt the only person he felt so deeply for and hurt himself in the process.

"He's home now, right?" Sasuke whispered, his eyes downcast.

Neiji's anger decreased when he saw Sasuke's wet cheeks. Was Sasuke crying?

He nodded a quick yes before sighing and leaning against the wall the bed was next to.

"Why is it Sasuke," Neiji began as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That you choose to ignore something so obvious?" He crossed his arms, as he stared intently at Sasuke. "Don't avoid what shouldn't be avoided."

Sasuke's eyes gathered in slight irritation. "I'm not avoiding anything, Hyuuga." He hissed angrily.

Neiji looked at Sasuke with searching eyes. Sasuke slouched further into his pillow, a little uneasy. He let out a defeated breath and looked Neiji in the eyes.

"I can't afford to lose him." He said finally. His honesty was raw and his insecurity was evident.

Neiji snorted at that. He wasn't trying to be foul, but when it came down to Sasuke, he needed to play the game strategically. Pity, he knew, would get him nowhere.

"But you already did." He said, tone mocking.

Sasuke smiled bitterly at that. He raised his arms to his head as he toyed with his hair, seemingly uninterested. "I wouldn't have been happy with him."

_Lies…_

Neiji was slightly taken aback by the quick change of attitude. From cold to irritated to miserable and now, back to cold. Sasuke had always been good with masks.

"Yeah, nor him with you." Neiji agreed, now searching for the emotions Sasuke had had just a moment ago.

_All desperate lies…_

"He can't offer me anything." Sasuke said, his eyes clearly not in the conversation, rather on his own thoughts.

_The things you tell yourself…_

"He causes you a lot of trouble, am I right?" Neiji asked as he rubbed his chin lightly.

_To hide from something, even you can't change…_

Sasuke snorted. "The dobe's an idiot." He said more to himself then to Neiji. His eyes brightened, but his face remained straight.

_Because it's frightening to know you've fallen too deeply._

Silence loomed over the two boys and Neiji knew he had Sasuke where he wanted him. Playing with an Uchiha was never easy, and proved to be intensely difficult. But he knew Sasuke and knew how he felt despite the cold, grouchy attitude. This, Neiji thought, was no different than a game of chess. Know your opponent and study his moves. Then, move strategically through the board without raising suspicion... And before you know it, you'll have the king cornered. **(2) **Neiji grinned.

He had caught Sasuke.

"You love him." Neiji said, smiling over to the dark haired boy.

"I know." Came the whispered reply. "I know…"

_Checkmate._

**TBC**

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**(1)Nieji?! Snuggling??? gawks **

**(2) I know nothing about chess. I'm only guessing. HEHE!**

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**AN: **I believe that this is, pretty much, my longest chapter yet! Yay me! I really am trying to lengthen my chapters so I'm sorry if this took so long to post. I hope this chapter brought on clarity to some of the confusing parts. Also, I know nothing about medical things so forgive me if you find anything wrong with what I've written (though I have been trying to go about it safely). Also, I might not get to write until the 23rd. Exams are coming up and school's definitely going to eat my time. So there! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

-Omg! I already reached 99 reviews! YAY! I'm one review away from my goal! OMG! WAAHH! ONE MORE!! HIHIHI! –sorry. Needed to get that out of my system.

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**From now on, I'll be replying your reviews via reply button that's conveniently located under your pennames. (How sad… I didn't notice it before! HAHA! Goes to show how totally unfamiliar I still am with this site!) I thank ****Stalker-san**** for pointing that out! –bows head in shame-**

**---But if you'd rather I do it the old way, (posting 'em here) please tell me! **

**Sorry if they're late! Very late. (oh and if I've missed anybody- I'm sorry!)**

**Thanks to all who reviewed and please continue doing so!**

yamano ringo, Inu.Roxs, punky 4 you, momiji lover 5727, Firefly-the-Wolf, Shaay, k1ta.ky0ko, Princess Teah, Ragdoll, chobits chi, Banana Pancakes, JulesInTheSea, LadyLiv

**I love you all!**


	14. Lesson 12: Misinterpretations

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 14: Lesson Twelve: Misinterpretations **

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This was slowly driving Sasuke insane.

He had woken up with a set of weary eyes entirely fixed on him, effectively jolting all fragments of sleep from his fatigued mind. Said weary eyes observed his every move, took note of every twitch and even seemed to dissect into his soul.

Itachi had lost it. His brother's porn corrupted mind finally lost all sense of thought, successfully liquefying all form of brain matter. His brother had most definitely lost it.

Though he was unnerved beyond compare, Sasuke shrugged it off. It wasn't his sanity at stake after all.

Toweling his hair dry, Sasuke stepped out of the bathtub thoroughly savoring his first descent bath since he'd come home from the hospital. The warm water did wonders for his mood, soaring higher than the usual level of monotonousness. For once, he'd actually felt relaxed. But of course, good things never did seem to last for the young Uchiha who almost fell over in shock when he'd opened the door to reveal the said pair of eyes once again. With what little dignity he could muster from his shocked state, Sasuke stomped off with angry grumbles and a few muttered curses.

Wherever he went, Itachi had been right behind. Either Itachi was undergoing some form of "second childhood" or Sasuke had just gained himself a watchdog. So there he was leaning on the kitchen counter, indignantly mumbling to himself as he willed the "spawn of hell" to disappear.

This was nauseatingly unnerving. Itachi's gaze was so intensive that Sasuke swore he could feel it prickle at his skin. But who knew right? Maybe the Uchiha family had come from a distinct line of mutants with laser eye powers? And perhaps some radiation plant exploded in the middle of nowhere effectively triggering something in Itachi's DNA.

Immediately, Sasuke dismantled that train of thought. As far as Sasuke knew, insanity was NOT contagious. But Itachi was slowly turning him into a basket case so maybe it was time to change resolve and move away from his brother. Far, FAR away. Sasuke let out an irritated huff. God he hated his life!

"Maybe you should stay home today." Itachi wondered aloud, quickly altering Sasuke's attention from his inner ramblings.

"Hn?"

"You know, just stay home and rest awhile." Itachi said, taking extra effort in keeping his tone as casual as possible. He knew Sasuke didn't appreciate being fussed over and his sickness wasn't something Sasuke liked holding him back. On most occasions (if not all) where people showed any form of compassion towards Sasuke's sickness, his little brother would get self-protective instinctively. Itachi understood that though. Sasuke was very self-governing and would rather fend for his own problems by himself. Sasuke was Sasuke and that fact would definitely never change.

His brother eyed him bitterly though Itachi had been vigilant with his manner. "I'm fine." Sasuke stated distastefully. "I've rested enough." There was trivial hiss signaling Itachi of his brothers rising temper.

Grabbing his bag that lay seated on the chair beside him, Sasuke stood and headed out the kitchen swiftly.

'_He's mad.' _Itachi thought as he let out a sigh. There were a lot of things Sasuke did not like and appearing weak was evidently on the top of is extensive list.

Shaking his head in mild disappointment, Itachi followed after Sasuke, grabbing his car keys on the way out.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"I heard Sasuke-kun is back!"

"Really?.! That's great!"

"Yeah, I was beginning to worry!"

"Look! Look! There he is!"

Tuning out all forms of annoying squeaks, Sasuke continued his way. High school life couldn't have been so exasperating. Although he'd gotten here early, the halls were already filled with large mobs, busily talking amongst themselves excitedly. This was quickly damping his already damp mood. He'd only been absent for a mere three days and already, the high school girl population regarded him as though he'd come from a month long absence. How annoyingly pathetic...

Random gasps of "Sasuke-kun!" and lamentable attempts in conversation greeted him as he made his way towards his locker. There were those occasional leeches that clung to his arm voicing forged concern. Then there were those that followed along like a loyal dog as they tragically attempted to woe his attention

There were guys who'd try to act cool pathetically feigning friendship with him in high hopes to score with the ladies.

Then there were those who just appeared to not care, minding their own business as they chatted animatedly with their friends; taking no notice whatsoever of the high school "celebrity"… namely one ticked off Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke halted in his path, the flash of blond catching the corner of his eye. A jolt of disappointment entered his system as the blond continued to take no notice of his existence. Truthfully, he'd have expected at least anger if not apprehension from the boy. Impassive was unquestionably the last thing Sasuke had expected. Impassive and happy, he thought bitterly. He'd been sadistically anticipating the boy to mourn over his rejection or at least appear the slightest picture of sadness.

Willing his thoughts to remain dispassionate, he let out a muted frown. Almost forcibly, he averted his attention from the blond boy as he continued his way towards his locker, once again attempting to shrug off the damned leaches. Today was certainly not his day…

But from behind, blue eyes softened.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Oh. My. God! It's Sasuke-kunn!"

Without glancing over to acknowledge who had just irksomely regarded him, Sasuke stuffed his trigonometry book over to his locker, calmly closing it right after.

"Get a life, Neji." He said, taking on that ever present monotonous tone.

Neji feigned irritation at having been recognized despite his best "Sasuke fan girl" impersonation, but quickly shrugged it off seeing that Sasuke had began to walk off despite him.

"Feeling a little antisocial today, aren't you?" Neji alleged as he rushed over to Sasuke's side.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped as he glided through the hordes of students.

Neji rolled his eyes, completely aware of Sasuke's rather sour mood. "Just wondering how you were doing, is all." Neji admitted halfheartedly.

"Peachy." Sasuke answered rather sarcastically as he paid little heed to all of Neji's additional attempts to strike up a conversation. Completely blocking off whatever the younger boy was babbling about, Sasuke dwelled in his own broody state-of-mind.

Upon reaching his class, Sasuke pale hand reached out for the doorknob but instantly went flying off as Neji swatted it away.

"What the hell?.!" Glaring daggers over to his younger cousin, Sasuke willed Neji to just burn and die. What the heck was wrong with him? It wasn't right to just randomly strike at peoples body parts, whether related or not.

"I was asking if you've talked to Naruto already." Neji griped, fully displeased with Sasuke's cold (rather frozen) shoulder.

Apparently, his "streak of good luck" had extinguished leaving him no better then the others when it came to handling the Uchiha. Sasuke was just too unapproachable when faced with a foul mood. And from what Neji had observed, Sasuke was undeniably in a rather foul mood.

But of course, with Neji being… well, Neji- Sasuke's foul mood would simply have to deal.

"No." Came the frosted reply.

"Look, Uchiha-" Neji began as he folded his arms in front of him. "You two need to talk."

Maybe it was because of Sasuke's profound scowl that Neji realized Sasuke's foul mood just didn't want to "deal". Or maybe the way his hands clenched into fists that Neji realized the Uchiha did not feel the desire to talk. But simply put, Neji recognized Sasuke's need to brood… alone.

"I'll do what I want when I want." Sasuke hissed. And with that, the raven left for his classroom, shrugging Neji off for the umpteenth time that day.

As the door to Sasuke's classroom shut with a loud click, Neji glowered. His cousin was especially prickly today. Back in the hospital, Sasuke had been far less hostile and most definitely easier to talk to. So what had happened that caused Sasuke to clam up once again? And whatever happened to their unspoken agreement that Sasuke would in fact talk to Naruto? Had he read wrong?

Such a pity it was to have to retreat from unfinished troubles. Naruto was his friend and Sasuke was his cousin. He wanted both to be happy and it was starting to nag at him that they couldn't just realize the obvious. They were happy together, and Neji would be damned if those two didn't stop hurting one another.

So maybe forcibly getting Sasuke to talk to Naruto wasn't the greatest of his plans.

And maybe Neji was in -little ways- getting pissed off with Sasuke's … _independent _behavior.

And maybe, just maybe, if fate played along, both Sasuke and Naruto would find their happiness.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto slumped despairingly during history. The teacher had been lecturing like machine gun and just kept shooting date after date after date. All the months, years, and days were forming a little soup of jumbled nothingness in the blond head of this.

Blocking all the teachers ramblings from his delicate mind, Naruto recalled back to a while ago. Sasuke had finally returned from his three day absence, sending a wonderful feeling of relief into him.

Naruto, at first had thought Sasuke's absence had been his entire fault, what with the confession and all. But to his relief (well, sort of), Neji had informed him that Sasuke had been sick at home with the flu. With that, Naruto instantly perked up. Although yes, he was still especially gloomy that Sasuke had reacted the way he did, he felt somewhat enlightened that maybe Sasuke wouldn't end up completely hating him.

When he'd seen Sasuke this morning, his initial thought was to run up to the boy and randomly tease him for being stuck home with the flu. Although that had proven to be harder than he'd originally thought, therefore resolving to just pretending to have not noticed.

With a groan, he wondered if he'd ever muster the courage to just go up to Sasuke and act as though back in the past where everything was far less perplexing.

A nudge from his right broke him from his reverie. "You okay?"

Directing his gaze over to his seatmate, Naruto was surprised to see Gaara.

Gaara had never spoken unless deemed necessary. Naruto had met Gaara a couple years back, having been paired up for a project then. They'd been friends despite the red haired boy being as tedious as white walls.

Growing up, Gaara never "hung" with him and the guys, always choosing to do whatever wherever. There were a few instances where Naruto would spend lunch with him, but that was as far as it went. In a sense, they'd manage to form a silent, but comfortable friendship.

Managing an obligatory smile, Naruto nodded.

Gaara's eyebrow arched, rather, where Naruto imagined those red eyebrows would be. Gaaras's eyebrows were well, nonexistent or really, really, REALLY thin and very much see-through. Strangely enough, having a hairless face suited him.

Though Gaara did not look convinced, he opted to ask Naruto to eat with him later on.

"Lunch?" He asked, dismissing how Naruto's nod lacked its natural enthusiasm.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Talk to me." Came the gentle demand.

Glancing over to Gaara, Naruto cocked his head to the side, not entirely sure what the redhead meant.

"You've been poking at your ramen for the past ten minutes. You're not talking and you've been ignoring everything I've asked-." Gaara stated as the look of guilt splashed across his friends face.

"Sorry!" Naruto squeaked as he started cramming noodles in his mouth.

Letting out a sigh, green eyes stared up at the blue sky watching clouds lazily drift along. They'd been sitting at the school courtyard amongst a couple others. Most of the kids preferred to remain indoors considering how hot it had been lately giving Gaara a greater reason to stay outdoors. He hated crowds and he hated noise. But with Naruto, lack of noise was just… unsettling.

"So talk. Something's troubling you."

Setting his food on his lap, Naruto twiddled with his fingers contemplating on whether or not he'd tell Gaara.

"I'm sorry... I don't -"

"It's fine." Gaara cut in. "You don't need to."

Though Gaara had been very much concerned for the blond, he'd rather not play the forcible friend, having to nag in order to attain things despite the other's obvious uncertainty. So he'd leave it there and wait for the other to talk.

Naruto smiled broadly in relief as he grabbed the redhead into a tight lung-numbing hug who in turn, awkwardly hugged his friend back.

"Thank you." Naruto breathed out, fully relishing the warmth of his friend.

Who knew Gaara could serve as a great teddy bear? Naruto giggled fondly at the thought also comforted by the fact that he wouldn't have to explain.

And from behind a brick corner, a set of dark eyes watched dejectedly at the smiling blond. His already dark eyes obscured with misinterpretation.

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**AN**: Don't kill me! I know I haven't updated in a loooong (extends further on) while, but schoolwork's just getting ridiculous! Who knew the teachers would decided to save their **wrath** for fourth quarter?.! We've got this crappy English defense/lit-crit paper coming up soon and I find that **horribly** unnerving. Fudge feminism! FudgeFudgeFudge! And then there's all the other crap that comes with high school (example: Speechfest - which totally sucks in all the remains of free.**fricken**.time.). Ugh. But don't worry. I'll update, though believe me…it **might** prove to be a loooong, looong journey. Let's just hope that the work don't keep on a comin!

I'm sorry if this may seem a little dispassionate (and short) but please bear with me! This chapter **will** help with the next chapter, which will definitely be more emotional (and longer). Oooh! Confession! Confession!

Also, don't worry! The next chapter should be a good turn of events relationship wise. **This story is nearing its end** (3 or 4 chappies maybe? Unless I think or you suggest another plot) and yet I can never manage to update faster. :Sigh: Bad author! BAD!

Oh! And lastly! I SO DUNOO HOW TO SPELL! I've spelt Neji wrong all throughout chapter 13! Ack! What's wrong with me! Must edit that later!

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I'm back to replying like this… just takes lesser time and I get to make sure I reply or thank everyone... Hehe.

O yeah. Sorry if I haven't been replying to everyone, but know all your reviews are VERY much appreciated.

**ochibi-chwan**Aww! It's alright! I don't appreciate your review any less! And 102's not so far from 100… it's only two persons from 100! HEHE! I'm sorry. You might just feel the killing intent for Sasuke now… but the boy has his reasons for being uptight I tell you! And yup! Next chappie will be kiss and make up time.

**Inu.Roxs**I've been willing myself to give their relationship a little obstacle instead of just magically being together since I felt horrible for Naruto too. :Evil author! Evil!: Hehe!

**JulesInTheSea**Aww crap. I must endure the terrors of physics next year, and judging from what you said, I know my brain will have evacuated before graduation! Hehe! I hope you did well on your physics exams! Must've sucked relearning everything but alas… this is the life of a student. Sorry for the long wait!

**Banana Pancakes: **Aww! Cheer up! Cheer up!

**k1ta.ky0ko**Hehe! He will! He will! I'll try to hurry along with the next chapter! Sorry, the story (and updatings) have been a little… (scrap little) …sluggish.

**aurora silvas: **I'm surri! You might hate me for stopping here too! HEHE! I'll try to write sooner!

**Crimson Aries**Aww, I'm sorry to hear that. I really hope your heart problem's not bad. :frowns: But on the brighter side: ooo! I'd like to read your fic when you do write it! I've been anticipating fics where Sasuke's sick (I know! I know! I'm so mean to poor Sasuke even though he's my favorite character) or something but I've only seen like one or two.

And regarding Neji and Sasuke being cousins, I figured since their both sexily pale and randomly alike in character and history, why not make them related? Hehe! (yep. Odd reasoning.)

**Death By Squishy**I love your penname! Lol! (sorry, just had to say that) I'm really happy you liked my story!

**Yumehito**Wow! Did it really? That's nice to know… WAIT! Nice to know the "angsting" was moving and not that you cried! Hehe! And I'm really flattered you think my writing has improved! I'm working on making it more descriptive and less monotonous (though this chapter wasn't all too descriptive). I guess reading an enormously large number of fics has helped improve my writing somewhat.

**trolly**Ooh! It's great to hear from you again!

**Tarkemelhion**I actually was considering on getting Naruto sick at first but then I figured since Sasuke's the one that actually _is_ sick, why not trigger that! Hehe!

**Zoomi**Oh, wow. Now that you've summed it all up, I'm also surprised how emotional my fic has become. I didn't even realize I've been making all my characters miserable. Hehe! They deserve a happy ending, don't you think?

**LadyLiv: **Omg. I know! I've spelt Neji wrong since the beginning of chapter 13. I'll edit that later but thanks so much for pointing that out!

**babii.ang3ls**Don't worry, Sasuke will admit it to the RIGHT person this time, otherwise, I'll beat him to a bloody pulp. Lol. Kidding. I could never do that!

**InfynitiStar**They'll be together next chapter (lol. I've been totally giving that away.) And yay! It's nice to hear from you again!

Thank you to all those who reviewed! I so love you all! HEE!

**Asf, kokoko, ****ochibi-chwan****Inu.Roxs****JulesInTheSea****, Banana Pancakes, ****k1ta.ky0ko****, aurora silvas, ****Crimson Aries****Death By Squishy****momiji lover 5727****trolly****Tarkemelhion****Yumehito****Zoomi****, LadyLiv, ****DarkRavie****babii.ang3ls****, AMC, ****InfynitiStar****NarutoNineTails****, Ragdoll, ****Non Innocent angel**

Reviews, suggestions, random blurt outs or the like are welcome and very much appreciated!

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	15. Lesson 13: Umbrellas and Stormy Nights

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 15: Lesson Thirteen: Umbrellas and Stormy Nights**

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It hurt. His clammy hands were shaking, his body shivering, his breathing reduced to only short gasps. Everywhere hurt. Everywhere seemed painful. His chest felt heavy and constricted; his body inert and seemingly defiant. Tiny jolts of pain within his chest sent him wincing, as he dug his fingers at his shirt, successfully creasing the dark fabric in process. A thin layer of cold sweat enveloped his body as he struggled to get out of bed. Jerky hands clawed at the sheets, chaotically tossing it away from his body. The moment his weight graced the carpeted floor, a wave of nausea hit and his battle to stay upright began.

Inch by inch, is feet progressed. Left, right then left again. He stumbled, poised and continued once more. His body wasn't functioning; his body seemed to defy. Stubbornly, he proceeded, clawing on the walls for support. They were the only things keeping him upright.

The simple task of traveling to the bathroom seemed long and unending. His room was no longer a flat terrain but somehow morphed into a steep hill overnight. The room appeared to stretch on, doors actually kilometers apart. Despite how willful his mind, his body refused to go on. His breathing was labored and his legs gave way, his body slid down the cold wall… He was defeated.

He was pitiful, such a useless incapable burden, unable to even drag himself over to his own bathroom. Overcome by his frustration, he stared angrily at his ceiling, willing unshed tears to fade away.

Once he thought to be a warrior, strong and capable to surpass battles. Once he thought he could slay dragons, save civilizations and gain recognition from the one man he thought to be his king; the only judgment he knew to be important. Better than the glory, better than princesses and fortune. Once he believed he could gain that recognition, and surpass what the king recognized to be weak. The flame that once roared in his young gullible heart had long since flickered and dulled. Now that flame was gone, extinguished by his disability, dampened by humiliation. He was a shameful warrior, the warrior who could not make it even through his own room.

The jolts of pain his chest remained like a steady pulse, though escalating each time. Nonchalantly, he began to bang his head against the wall, just enough to get his body to focus elsewhere. Anywhere apart from his incapability's; anywhere apart from his flaws.

"_Stop."_

"_Stop."_

"_Stop." _He whispered to himself, his voice quivering. Whether it was to stop his heart from hurting, or to stop it from beating, he didn't care. It hurt too much. HE hurt too much. Maybe he'd wait there and die, maybe not. Maybe he'd patch things up with what he'd intended, though maybe it'd be too late. Whichever one fate chose, he'd leave it to fate. Right now, he was too tired.

**----------------------------**

"_Sasuke…" _

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke groaned and sluggishly opened his eyes. Where was he?

There was a sigh to his right and Sasuke caught sight of his brother's relieved face. "Itachi?"

His brother nodded as he brushed dark strands of hair from Sasuke's face. "Quit scaring me like that, otouto." Itachi grinned. "It's getting old." His smile wavered just a bit as he stared into his brother's pale face.

"Where am I?"

"Hospital."

It was Sasuke's turn to sigh. That's right. He had an attack this morning. He winced. Unexpected trips to the hospital were getting frequent. Too frequent. And Itachi was right. These "unscheduled events" were getting old.

"How long?"

"You've been unconscious for a couple hours. It's two in the afternoon."

Sasuke glanced around the familiar setting of the room, his eyes landing on a bag that Itachi had stored up in his car. These little trips to the hospital were almost a tradition to them that his brother had already stacked the necessities with some of Sasuke's clothes in the back of his trunk.

In a way, it was almost funny.

Itachi shifted in the chair he had situated right next to his brother's bed earlier on. They needed to talk and what he was about to discuss wasn't the easiest of topics. Sasuke's health had always been a delicate issue, one that had always ended unresolved. Hopefully, today, they'd finally come to a conclusion.

Itachi studied his brother's face intently as he attempted to steer this conversation toward his intended goal, as swiftly as he possibly could. "Sasuke… Your doctor and I have been talking…"

The symptoms were all there. Itachi recognized these instantly. The shuffle in positions, the severed eye contact and the slight frowning of lips. What came next, Itachi already anticipated.

"I don't care. Do what you want."

It was spoken so monotonously, so detachedly that Itachi flinched. Each time the responses were identical and each time Itachi hurt. Itachi hurt for his brother who seemed to have lost what little of life he'd loved. That string of hope now snapped with Sasuke falling further and further away from him, from the world and from his desire to live. Itachi hurt because he understood, sometimes even sided with Sasuke's emotion. It wasn't easy having lived with poor health with such a stringent father whose principles revolved around strength and honor. Weakness was not something their father tolerated. Itachi hurt because he didn't know what else to do. He was stuck in a checkmate, a position where he knew he could do nothing more.

"Sasuke, I can't decide for you." Itachi sighed, trying as much as possible to suppress his frustration. "This is your life, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged.

"You know I'll die either way." Sasuke smirked. "I'll just die quicker without it."

Itachi's eyes widened. First came the initial shock then Itachi slammed his fist on Sasuke's bed, gaining a slight flinch from Sasuke. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want to believe his brother. He stood not wanting his brother to see the tears. Was that what Sasuke wanted? Each time his brother would leave it to him, it was like asking how long Itachi wanted him alive. Was that what Sasuke thought?

His back still facing his brother, Itachi whispered, "You have everything to lose Sasuke… and so much more to gain…" He turned to face his brother, not caring that he showed Sasuke his tears. Their father was gone, he didn't care either way.

A long pause and an intake of breath. "Do you want to die?" He asked desperately, hoping, no, pleading that Sasuke would answer _no_.

Sasuke's intent look gave nothing away. He was as unresponsive as a wall when he surveyed his brother, taking in the tears that were not so often witnessed even to him. Then unexpectedly, Sasuke smiled. Slowly, he got up, grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

"No Itachi, not yet." _I have just one last thing to fix…_

Dumbfounded, and flickering with new hope, Itachi stared at his brother's receding form as he left and gently shut the door.

That was certainly new.

Itachi smiled.

**----------------------------**

Naruto hummed softly to himself as he walked along the corridors. His mood had surprisingly lifted since his talk with Gaara yesterday. For the first time in days, he actually felt like his old self, giddy and ready for action!

"Sasuke-kun really didn't go to school today."

"Ne, he's been absent a lot lately…" Feminine gossip and disappointment drifted across the halls, most of the female population miserable for their prince's absence.

He'd been down in the dumps since his last encounter with Sasuke, something he wished never to happen again. Hearing that the object of his gloom was not present to torment him, Naruto felt a little relief drift in. Of course, the initial feelings of "love" were still within the confines of his heart, but it was now something he wished to suppress. Naruto had once seen who Sasuke was. Beneath the cold demeanor was someone he wished to repair, someone he wished to know. Those hard eyes were something he wished to explore once again, to walk and get lost within Sasuke's emotion. To understand the intricate lace of Sasuke's moods and to witness what no one else would witness when being with the puzzle that was the Uchiha.

But it seemed that no matter how much he wished, not matter how many pennies he threw in a wishing well, he would never experience loving and being loved by Sasuke. It took a heartache and days of gloom to figure that one out. Sometimes, things were better left alone. The flames of rejection hurt too much to try and touch again. He'd learnt his lesson rather painfully.

Turning a swift left, Naruto paused in his tracks.

"Uzumaki."

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked disbelievingly. Fate had a sick way of playing with him recently. Here he was contemplating about the presumed to be absent Sasuke and here Sasuke was leaning against his locker. Now how the heck did that happen?!

"Ano… I need to get stuff in my locker, teme." Naruto's words were spoken delicately, nothing like the rough command he'd expected.

"What's stopping you, usuratonkachi?" There was that grin, that ever prominent grin when Sasuke teased. He scooted over, just enough to be right beside Naruto's locker.

Naruto grumbled to himself, cursing the gods for the Uchiha's sudden appearance. He was supposed to be suppressing emotion, not stirring them! Plus, he was still a little irritated; maybe even a little angry for Sasuke's hurtful words.

Stepping up to open his locker, Naruto ignored Sasuke who he felt was watching him from the corner of his eye.

"You're supposed to be absent." Naruto stated simply as stuffed a few books in his bag.

"I need to talk to you." His voice was firm, as though talking to the inferior.

"You already are, teme."

"After school at the park… the playground."

"No. I'll be busy."

"I'll wait."

"No, teme. I won't go!" in his frustration, Naruto slammed his locker door shut. Maybe a little bit angry didn't cut it. He was angry. The damn bastard wanted to talk now?! Rather, _demanded_ to talk now?! After abandoning him at the beach? What else was there to discuss? The last thing Naruto wanted was a repeat of what happened and going through the emotional rollercoaster was the least of his desires. Sasuke could go talk to the trees. He wasn't going.

"I'll wait." Sasuke repeated as he left, his hand in his pockets. Without turning back, he exited from Naruto's view.

"Damn it teme. I WON'T go!"

**----------------------------**

The skies had darkened, the whole city dimmed. The rain clouds fluffed, it's color inky. Leaves rattled and branches creaked. The winds blew, swiftly, roughly, across fields and into opened windows. Rain, large and heavy, dripped rattling on tin roofs and continuing its dance along the dampened pavement. Streetlights sprung open, defying the dark that dared envelope the streets.

Light blue eyes, dazed in thought and lost in the scenery stared fixedly across the gray painted streets. Sheltered by the school's roof and kept dry by the window, he leaned along the railing, body bent, frozen like a statue. Inside was silent and serene in contrast to the wetness of the outside world. Here, Naruto thought freely.

Footsteps echoed along the halls, upsetting the silence that once settled. Naruto took no notice. The footsteps took a halt, replaced by the whispered question of, "Naruto?"

Slightly surprised by the sudden call of his name, Naruto spun around setting eyes on his friend's worried face. "Neji? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question."

Naruto paused awhile.

"Just thinking." Returning to his former position, Neji joined in and leaned on the metal railing.

"It's quite late to be thinking on school grounds." Neji chuckled at how that statement sounded and glanced down at his wristwatch. "It's already 6, Naruto. Why aren't you home?"

"I didn't have an umbrella."

"Oh? Fair enough, I suppose." It was quite an odd reason, though justifiable considering how heavy the rain was even before school ended. It never ceased, only progressed as the hours went on. Maybe a storm would soon come.

"What about you?"

"Club meeting." Neji stated with distaste. He'd attended such a useless meeting that lead to nowhere. Such a waste to his Friday afternoon…

"Oh."

A moment of silence, then…

"I can bring you home if you want. My car will be arriving soon."

"No, it's okay." Eyes still transfixed outside, Naruto added, "Thanks for offering."

Neji sighed. Something was wrong again. This morning, Naruto seemed to return to his usual self, even managing to choke Neji with his morning hugs. What happened now?

Both boys settled in silence, Neji figuring it'd be best if Naruto were to speak first and Naruto simply lost in his own little world.

"Say, Neji..." Naruto whispered, eyes downcast.

"Hmm?"

"You know Sasuke quite well right?"

Was that it? Was Sasuke once again the reason for Naruto's sorrow? Even without his cousin's presence, Sasuke _still_ managed to ruffle Naruto's nerves. He'd have to poke more sense into that cousin of his. Whatever the cause of Naruto's sudden gloom, he'd try consoling him.

"Don't worry about him, Naruto. Sasuke is Sasuke- and whatever he might have done, he probably did without thinking." As an afterthought, he added, "for a genius, he sure is dull."

A hint of a giggle escaped Naruto's lips. "No, no!" His smile suddenly faded. "I meant… He's stubborn right? I mean, if he said he'd do something, he'd stick to it?"

Neji thought awhile. That surely led him off. Maybe this time, Sasuke wasn't as guilty as he'd presumed. "Well, yes. My cousin can rather be… determined. Sometimes, even more so than you."

A flash of disappointment dawned in Naruto's face. He squirmed a bit. "So if he says he'll wait, he'd wait?"

Where was this conversation leading to?? "Yeah. Sasuke would wait."

"Even in this weather?" Naruto asked, urgency interlaced with his words.

Realization hit Neji quick. He smiled. Sasuke that idiot. He should have just talked to Naruto here. That stupid cousin of his probably had to pick somewhere like the park just to seem poetic. Pathetic idiot! Sasuke never ceased to amuse him.

Neji nodded. "Even in this weather, Naruto."

"Oh." Naruto's eyebrows creased. He was starting to doubt not going. What if Sasuke were still there?

"He'd wait all night." Neji smiled. In truth, Sasuke would wait all night and that did worry him. Right now, he'd try convincing Naruto to go over there and if that didn't work, he'd drag the Uchiha home before the retard got pneumonia.

"Hey Neji…" Naruto turned to Neji's direction, eyes bright with newfound determination.

"Still willing to give that ride?"

**----------------------------**

The skies had darkened to a pitch black, the sun long since overlapped by the night sky. After thanking Neji for the ride, Naruto headed for the playground, now equipped with Neji's black umbrella.

The rain had worsened and despite Neji's large umbrella, Naruto still could not evade getting splashed by the cold water. The wind was unforgiving, sending chills to Naruto's lithe body. He really hoped Neji were wrong. Despite his anger, Naruto hoped Sasuke hadn't stayed and waited. If he did, Naruto hoped he'd at least stayed dry.

The stoned path led to a clearing, that Naruto was certain was the playground. Street lamps were on and yet they still provided ill-lighting. Naruto surveyed the small playground, searching for the figure he hoped left earlier on.

There was a movement to his right, and Naruto squinted his eyes in order to decipher who or what was seated on the parks wooden bench.

"You came."

Instantly recognizing the baritone voice, Naruto rushed over, hoping his ears had deceived him.

Taps on the stone path, obscured by a puddle or two, then…

"You idiot! Why the hell are you still here?! Damnit teme! You're shivering!"

It was true. Sasuke embodied the image of a drenched cat, his whole body soaked and quivering from the cold. His dark hair plastered to his face which dribbled with water. His clothes no longer served purpose for they were drenched and gave no protection from both cold and rain.

**_These games that we play…_**

"I'm sorry." His lips were almost blue from the cold and the words that escaped them were whispered weakly.

"Were you waiting here all this time?! I told you I wouldn't come and yet your as stubborn as- what did you say?"

"I said, I'm sorry." More forceful now, more heartfelt.

**_This never-ending cycle of run and hide._**

"Oh…" Naruto was caught off guard. Sasuke had… apologized. He stared at the ground, as an awkward moment of silence flowed through the air.

"I'm so terrified of loving you." His words were almost pleading, almost begging. This was what he felt. His emotions raw; his feelings open. He was revealing who he was, someone who even he was unacquainted with.

Naruto stood, still paralyzed.

_**One day, I was bound to break…**_

Sasuke stood, cradled Naruto's face in both his cold hands and stared straight into the blue he'd come to be familiar with. The only thing he came to be familiar with.

That's when Naruto realized Sasuke was crying. The tough boy who revealed nothing, who hid from the world was right here, showing him everything Naruto knew would be there.

Fear.

Pain.

Anger.

Joy.

Love.

Sasuke was human.

"Why do you affect me so much, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, begging those blue eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, to answer.

"No matter how hard I try, I can't stop." He pressed their foreheads together, his eyes closing. "It's hurting me."

Gently, Naruto pushed Sasuke off. He was confused; shocked that Sasuke was being almost… vulnerable. "Sasuke, I don't understand what-"

"It's always you." Sasuke stated almost irritably. His voice shook, maybe from the cold, maybe from the emotion.

_**To give in…**_

"S-Sasuke?" Those eyes, those dark onyx eyes had turned angry. It frightened Naruto, he took a step back.

**_And surrender._**

"In my mind-"

"A-ano… Maybe you should- oof" Having backed up too far, his back hit a tree with a soft thud.

_**No matter how hard I tried to resist…**_

"-You're always there." Dark brows knitted in anger, eyes glaring intensely at the frightened blond. Naruto worried, confused and terrified. Being sandwiched between Sasuke and the tree wasn't helping.

Forcing a strangled laugh, the Naruto mustered up his usual cheerful voice, "I guess I'm that i-irresistible then." He was shaking, though it was not from the cold. _What's happening?_

_**I hated you!**_

There was a flash of lightning and Naruto caught sight of Sasuke's fist, balled up and heading his way. He cringed. Quickly shutting his eyes, he waited for flesh to meet flesh. He

A loud thud but…

It never came.

Puzzled, he opened his eyes. Blue met black in a swirl of colors that Naruto knew he'd imagined. Sasuke's eyes were soft… almost inviting.

The umbrella had long since dropped, blown away by the wind, just as Naruto was blown away by what he saw next. Sasuke was smiling.

_**And I hid under that hatred.**_

"You piss me off so much." The whispered words were so gentle that it was almost went unheard by the blond who was now transfixed by those onyx eyes. They captivated him, his breath caught in his throat.

_**Knowing that…**_

Flesh met flesh as Sasuke's lips descended down upon Naruto's. Naruto grew stiff and blue eyes went wide.

_Was Uchiha Sasuke kissing him? _

Naruto surrendered as the warmth filled his being. Giving into the kiss, he relaxed into Sasuke's soft embrace, into those arms that promised so much more. He closed his eyes, and kissed back. This was the way things were supposed to be.

_**I was helplessly falling in love with you.**_

It was raw passion, passion so intense that the blond could do nothing to prevent his knees from shaking, his heart from speeding and his tears from falling. His grip on Sasuke's shirt tightened as Sasuke's arms encircled around Naruto's waist. Tongues danced, hands roamed and tears fell. Right now, everything was perfect. Right now, right here was where both belonged.

They broke apart with one last kiss, soft and innocent, both still panting heavily. Sasuke's hands found their way back to Naruto's flushed cheeks as he once again pressed their foreheads together. He stared back into the infinite blue with a strained smile.

"I need…" Sasuke said in between heavy pants. "I need you to know…"

His grip tightened and more tears fell, mingling with the rain. Thunder roared and the wind blew. Then utter silence.

"I love you, Uzumaki Naruto."

And before the dazed blond could react, Sasuke's world went black.

**----------------------------**

**AN:** Poor Sasuke. He's dead now. KIDDING! HAH! He's still alive! Heheh!

….

WOW! I actually managed to write somewhat decent (I hope). I was worried that I'd forgotten how to write considering it's been sooo long since I've gotten kinky with the keyboard. School ended about two weeks ago and I've been catching up on the much needed sleep- so that kept me occupied for a while. Then, I decided to write again, though I gave up the first couple times since staring at a blank sheet hurt my eye… both of them. Hee. And yay! I ended at a cliff hanger! Hee. Evil me! Now you all loathe me twice as much! Haha.

That's all. I'll be busy typing the next chapter which I hope I'll finish by next week. Don't bother brewing up a mob of angry, revenge-filled readers. I have hidden myself in the confines of my room, on my bed and under my blanket. Plus, my army of mosquitos will attack you and make you itch for the rest of the century. They also know kung-fu.

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**InfynitiStar** Ooh! That's cool. I can't wait for college though I have no idea what I'm going to take as my course! There are so many things I wanna doooo!

**menolly1019** Hee! Thanks for the helpful review! I did sorta use Gaara as my desperate attempt to to move the story along… I was stuuuuuuck! Haha. Ah well. Sorry. I plan to edit this story after I finish the last chapter but I don't think I can do anything about Gaara. Hehehe. Thanks again for the review!

**Minty Chinchilla** Haha! Golden Mickey mouse ears?!? Hee! I can't imagine 'em on a bald head! And what's your physics teacher doin with golden Mickey mouse ears?! Hahah! Interesting! And congratulations on your B! YAY!

Ooh. This chapter's... somewhat happy right? At least their together now, even if Sasuke did pass out. Mwahahah.

**Zoomi****SylvanDreamer****Non Innocent angel** Lol! Everyone seems to wanna slap Sasuke silly. I wanna slap him silly too! Thanks for the reviews!

Blurp: Lol. Sorry, did I write that? (Bet it's everywhere) But now that you've pointed that out, it sounds funny! Hehe!

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I REALLY want to thank you guys for reviewing. I may not reply all the time but I really do read and appreciate each and everyone! Love you all!

**Nikki, ****InfynitiStar, ****menolly1019,****Narutard Kiba, ****Non Innocent angel, ****Minty Chinchilla, ****anime-girl50****, LadyLiv, ****Zoomi, ****momiji lover 5727, ****SylvanDreamer, ****Crimson Aries, ****Nusku****, blurp, ****Inu.Roxs**

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**See you soon!**

**-Tainted Dreams03**


	16. Lesson 14: Hospital Enchantments

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 16: Lesson Fourteen: Hypnosis and Hospital Enchantments**

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Uchiha Sasuke stirred from his eventful slumber. He shifted a little and dug his face deeper into crispy white pillows, smiling brightly at a dream for which he could not recall. It was a blissful one, that far he supposed, his aura of content satisfying his assumptions. He snuggled at the cottony softness beneath him, and did what no man thought possible.

Uchiha Sasuke giggled.

For the first time in his stoic life, Uchiha Sasuke heard himself giggle.

Today was presumably a beautiful day; the sun assumed to be up and birds were predicted to be flying high in the sky along with the kites that happy kids flew. Without removing his pale, frown-free face from the crispy-white pillow, Sasuke knew it was a perfect day. He was happy and therefore the world was _expected_ be happy on his behalf. Uchiha Sasuke ruled, rocked and had kissed a beautiful blond bundle.

Sasuke blushed and dug his fingers tightly onto the cotton-filled pillow.

He simply felt the urge to giggle again.

So he did.

…

…

"Teme! You're fricken' weird!"

…

…

Shit.

**----------------------------**

"Geez Sasuke. If I knew you'd be that pleased with kissing me, I would've done it sooner."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. It was dangerous to wake up happy, he decided. It was downright hazardous to wake up in a giggle frenzy, not knowing there was someone basking in your uncharacteristic show of delight. It was even worse when your anonymous companion was SO. DAMN. ANNOYING. Was it so wrong to be happy?! And why was Naruto in the hospital with him in the first place?!

"Bet you were dreaming of me!" Naruto wiggled two giddy brows. "You were, weren't you? Weren't you?!"

_Burn Uzumaki… BURN!_

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Why was the fricken' sun even up?! Why the hell were the birds chirping and GOD DAMN those pathetic kites! Where the heck was the lightning and why the hell was UZUMAKI NARUTO not being struck?!

"I never pegged myself to be a great kisser…"

_Die Uzumaki, DIE!_

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment and Sasuke initially thought the blond idiot finally stopped. He let out a sigh of relief.

"… But I guess I KISSED THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!" Naruto laughed. He laughed to his hearts content. He laughed and kept laughing.

Louder.

Louder.

And even louder.

Sasuke frowned . The noisy blond boy needed to be annihilated. NOW! "USURATONKACHI!!"

"…LITERALLY!" Naruto pounded tan fists to white sheets, earning him a pout from the scowling Uchiha.

"Baka! I passed out from a FEVER, not some lousy kiss."

And instantly, Uzumaki Naruto fell silent.

The blond boy sagged onto the wall near Sasuke's bed, eyes shadowed by the heavy curtain of golden bangs.

For a moment, Sasuke stared in mild relief for the instant peace, and then winced as he heard faint sobs coming from the boy.

"Oi, Naruto…" Sasuke didn't think he'd burst the excessive ego to a complete extinction… did he?

"G-gomen, Sasuke."

Naruto was crying. His tanned arms were furiously wiping away at tears that he unsuccessfully endeavored to hide; his small body faintly shaking from the soft sobs escaping trembling lips.

"If… If I'd come earlier then maybe-"

Naruto halted as warm arms engulfed his body. Soft hands directed his head to lie on a welcoming chest as those hands smoothed out strands of blond hair.

So that's what this was about.

"It's not you're fault, baka." Sasuke rested his chin atop Naruto's head, enjoying their closeness as he tried soothing the boy that he now held tightly onto.

After a short while, Naruto calmed and began to hesitantly wind his arms around Sasuke's body. He relaxed, breathed in and smiled a little. "Stupid Sasuke." He whispered. "You shouldn't have waited. Now you're sick."

"It's only a fever, dobe." _And another attack… But you don't need to know that._

Tentatively, Naruto loosened his arms around Sasuke's comforting body and looked up onto soft onyx eyes. "But you're feeling okay now, right?"

Sasuke smiled and kissed the blond head. "Aa." He nodded.

Naruto smiled. "Good."

Just as the two were about relive their original positions, Itachi's sour face popped in the room, as he eyed his brother with much venom.

"Uchiha Sasuke. BED. NOW!" A growl, then, "You're supposed to be RESTING!"

"You're getting in with me." Sasuke stated as he patted the beds mattress.

"Why?! You're the one that's sick!" Naruto reasoned, his head held high and arms stubbornly crossed. "Plus, Itachi told YOU to rest, not me!"

"You're suffering with me." He patted the mattress once again, this time, more forceful then the last.

"That's NOT a reason, Uchiha!"

"Did you not state that YOU caused my current ailment, Uzumaki?" Sasuke stated, careful not to sound to serious lest he provoke the blonds guilt.

"YOU just said that wasn't my fault! YOU can't hold that against me, teme!" Naruto huffed as he eyed Sasuke intently.

"I renounce it."

"NANI?! You can't "renounce" that!"

"Quit being stubborn and get in." This time, Sasuke lifted the covers as he silently commanded the stubborn blond to get in with him.

"Well quit ordering me around! You don't have the right to!" Naruto pouted. The last thing he wanted was sleep. He'd been asleep for all of last night and half the afternoon, waiting for "sleeping beauty" over here to awake from his slumber. Never mind that he'd slept in a worried frenzy and in an uncomfortable position on an uncomfortable chair. He still managed to get shut eye and secretly, it'd be the perfect time to observe the dark broody boy now that the initial apprehension was gone.

Last night had been one heck of a night. First, the boy of his dreams, broody-boy-angst, had looked completely miserable, drenched to the bone, shivering and utterly vulnerable. Then, broody-boy-angst turns into some homicidal freak, evil and angry; ready to punch anything "punchable", namely the tree who truly was the victim of Sasuke's destructive tendencies. Then, Sasuke turned psycho, mumbling accusations to the poor defenseless blond boy who never saw what came, errr, come. Then the Uchiha, one with poetic inclinations, fainted, fell and cast off all residues of the kiss from Naruto's mind, instead replacing it with distress, fear then more distress.

It had been out of pure luck that Sasuke had carried his phone in his back pocket; otherwise the blond would've been left with the problematic task of dragging broody-boy-angst's body over to the hospital in a thunderstorm. Naruto had instantly called Itachi who in turn muttered a set of colorful anxiety-induced words before rushing over to the park complete with screeching tires.

So here he was, many hours later, arguing with the Uchiha who had been the root cause of his restlessness and worry. Said Uchiha was staring at his face with squinted eyes, commanding, no, hypnotizing the stubborn blond to get in the damned bed with him.

_When I count to three…_

_You will sleep with me…_

_Be enticed by my flawlessness…_

Shit. Naruto shook his head. He was hearing things now.

_And succumb to the temptation that is meee…_

Was Sasuke trying to subconsciously seduce him?! Naruto looked up to the Uchiha whose eyes had squinted into another geometric shape.

_1…_

_2…_

"Damnit teme! Can't you sleep alone?!"

Sasuke raised a finely shaped brow. "You're supposed to sleep with me, I'm your boyfriend." He stated simply as though to inform.

_NANIIII?!?!_

"B-Boyfriend?!" Naruto stuttered, obviously shocked by the startling revelation. Since when did that happen?! Not that it was a bad thing, mind you; it was an incredibly good, good thing… Naruto just wished he'd been there when it had happened… or was he?!

"What? Did you think it was normal for me to go around kissing boys?" Sasuke asked, obviously amused.

His face was painted red and Naruto knew it.

"N-no… But-"

Once again, Sasuke signaled for the space next to him. "Common already. I want to molest my boyfriend."

"H-HENTAI!"

**----------------------------**

The room was bare in every aspect, whichever way you looked at it. The walls were white, unappealing and looked almost naked. The bed was a similar case, plain and its original purpose being a place where patients reposed and not function as a comfortable haven. White sheets were tucked within the thin mattress, so neatly and precisely that it should have been made an art.

But there was something particularly enchanting about white painted walls and crisp hospital beds. The lack of adornment the bare walls possessed radiated a sense of discrete exquisiteness, which was now intensified by the appearance of patterned rays that seeped through the opened blinds. The bed was warm and comforting, the blankets like a protective covering from all wrong. The metal railings were like a shield from your own utopia, created within the single bed that held two.

Sasuke sighed. Maybe the room wasn't all that enchanting after all. And maybe the bare walls were indeed plain and the bed like any other piece of furniture. The true magic, Sasuke knew for sure, was right in his arms, right where his obsidian eyes could treasure.

The beautiful tan expanse of skin, smooth and seemingly delectable glowed with healthy beauty. A cute nose, pointed and perfectly sculptured graced the endearing face of the blond boy. Fine strands of hair, soft and utterly beautiful lightly covered the most stunning blue orbs; blue eyes like the deepest of oceans and the clearest of skies wherein one could easily get lost in the brilliant expanse of. And indeed Uchiha Sasuke was lost. He'd fallen in the deepest of oceans, floated to the highest of heavens and had contentedly lost himself in the magnificence that was Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke smiled contentedly and drew the blond boy closer than he already was. He'd gone in too deep and flew on too high to deny his fancy to cuddle.

"Hey." Naruto whispered, shifting from his position on Sasuke's chest to look him in the eye.

"Hey." Sasuke whispered back, his fingers toying with blond locks.

"I like staying like this." Naruto stated; his voice soft, no louder than the comforting hum of the air conditioner.

"Yeah."

"We're gonna do this again, right?"

Sasuke smiled, taking note of the dusty pink on the blonds cheeks. "Hn. Often." He said, reaching down to kiss his boyfriend's forehead.

"Yeah. Often!"

There was a soft giggle, silence, then a yawn.

"Go to sleep, Naruto."

Sasuke felt Naruto nod on his chest, the soft buzzing of the air conditioner lulling them to sleep.

"Hey Sasuke…" A sleepy whisper.

"Hn?"

"I love you."

There was faint snoring and contented smiles.

Uchiha Sasuke drew the sleeping blond closer.

_I love you too, Uzumaki Naruto._

**TBC…**

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****AN: **Sorry, it's a little late - But alas, here it is! I'm thinking at least two more chapters and maybe an epilogue. But who knows, I might go all friendly with the keyboard and type my way through more chapters. Haha. 

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**AN: **By any chance, have any of you seen Naruto Shipuden? I heard Sasuke FINALLY reappears there. Sigh. WANNA WANNA WANNA WATCH IT NOW!

**Firework** Thanks for the review! Hehe!

**DarkRavie** Yeah, I know. Talk about one DRAGGGGYY fic. Haha. I'm also glad to have FINALLY WRITTEN Sasuke's confession. Heeee! I didn't think I'd ever get there!

**Dragon77** Don't worry! I'll keep writing till my fingers fall off in one tragic flop on the keyboard… WHAT?? Haha. I feel psycho. I really meant to say I intend to end this without the month long gaps I was FORCED to do (DAMN YOU, SCHOOLWORK!) before. See ya in the next chapter!

**Inu.Roxs** Glad you thought it was cute. Writing the last part of the last chapter got me all red and embarrassed (I'm still not used writing a love professing Sasuke! Haha!). I was honestly having second thoughts in posting it the way it was, but apparently it went ok! Hee!

**X-MiZZ-ThanG-X** MWAHAHAHA! (evil laughter ensues) (thunder booms) (bolts of lightning appear)… I might just kill the pale boy wonder… Haha! KIDDING! I'm not sure really. I don't think I will unless I'm in a really, really, really, really pissy mood and feel my sadistic nature rise… Then I might think of sharing my really, really, really, really pissy mood and kill pale boy wonder. Haha! You'll just hafta wait and see. (Clue: I don't favor sad endings) _winks!_

**Ragdoll:** MWAHAHHAHAA to you too! I'm not as evil as I seem and I don't wanna be hunted and killed! I'll leave it at that!

**HikariYami-chan** This will be my third MWAHAHAHA in a row! (Omg. This is really getting funny! People might actually chase me with brooms if I do _accidentally _kill Sasuke.) Broom chasing is something I do not like! Hehe! … thanks for your review! And dontcha worry! Poor Sasuke might actually pull through! If not, he'll come back from the dead! Haha! See ya!

**SylvanDreamer** Lol! That's Sasuke for you! That pale boy drama queen…erm… king. Glad you liked the last chapter!

**KinkyPerfection:** YAY! I MADE SOMEONE CRY! (Rereads the sentence) NO! WAIT! BAD AUTHOR BAD! (rewinds) YAY! I ACTUALLY CREATED AN EFFECTIVE LITERARY PIECE THAT ENABLES MY READERS TO EXPRESS THEIR EMOTIONS SUCCESSFULLY! Haha! I'm glad that the story has touched you in some way! But I'll keep writing till I reach the last chapter, and I'll keep writing afterward! Haha! I won't keep ya hanging on some unfinished fic. I'm not evil! Really, really slow in writing, but not evil! (at least not that evil! Hehe!) and _HINT! HINT!_ I do prefer happy endings even if I have to write it on an epilogue!

**LadyLiv:** WOW! That was absolutely flattering! Hee! I feel giddy now! Thanks reviewing!! I really appreciated it!

**Banana Pancakes**: YAY! You're back! School's a drag isn't it? I'm glad mine's finally over! Thanks for reviewing!

**blue-genjutsu** Yup! I hope so too. Wait… That's up to me isn't it? BWAHAHA! _(Attempts to plot Sasuke's demise) _Damn… I can't kill the guy! He's too hot for death. Hehehe! Thanks for your review!

**:-):** did I write Neiji again?! SORRY! WHY DO I KEEP MISSPELLING NEJI'S NAME?! WHY LORD, WHY?! (_Author is frustrated_) Thanks for telling me!

**Gmgtpj:** Haha! That'd be interesting! Thanks for reviewing!

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Again! Thank you to all those whom have shared their thoughts! (I got to reply to all of you this time! _Gives self a pat on the back._) I hope I hear from all of you again!

**Firework****DarkRavie****Dragon77****Inu.Roxs****, X-MiZZ-ThanG-X, Ragdoll, ****HikariYami-chan****SylvanDreamer****, KinkyPerfection, LadyLiv, Banana Pancakes, ****blue-genjutsu****:-), Gmgtpj **

See you all soon!

**-Tainted Dreams03**


	17. Lesson 15: Just Another Atypical Day

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 16: Lesson Fifteen: Just Another Atypical Day**

**-------------------------------------------------**

The world truly was a beautiful sanctuary. A wonderful splendor of amazing creations and intricate designs, so magnificently sculptured to fit every man's varied taste. It was a pastel wonderland. The sounds, the scents and the views the world had to offer captivated Sasuke, his face reflecting mild awe.

Never before had Sasuke appreciated nature; Sasuke who could've passed through what could've been the Eiffel tower or the glorious Taj Mahal without much consent. Never before had he been captivated by the shades of nature, he who saw the world in black and white. Never once did he take the chance to listen to the freedom of nature, often choosing to hear what he desired instead. Never before had he inhaled so fully or exhaled so contentedly. It was like stepping into a story book of pictures that were so delicately and beautifully made. An illustration in which was present in life, one that he never bothered to set his mighty gaze upon.

Everything radiated twice as much beauty now that he held what he treasured so close.

He was like a child in a candy store, entranced by all the selections of all the possible sugary sweetness. He was experiencing the best of what life could offer and unlike in the past, he grasped it with opened arms. Naruto had shown him how.

"I won't get lost, you know." Naruto mumbled, as he lightly jerked his arm, half-heartedly "hoping" to set it free. It was embarrassing holding hands like this.

Sasuke paused in his tracks, surveying the blushing blond a step behind him. "And I'm here to make sure you don't." He stated simply as he squeezed Naruto's smaller hand, holding it even tighter.

It was early in the morning and they'd been walking through the extensive park for some time now. Earlier that morning, right before Naruto's alarm had set off, an unexpected visitor had arrived, showered, dressed and insistent. To be woken at an ungodly hour, which to Naruto, was right before his alarm set off, was a mortal sin; something that could and would never be forgiven. Sasuke had rudely commented on the blond's tardiness, shoved the blond aside and invited himself in and crinkled an upturned nose at the usual disaster that was Naruto's room. Sasuke had performed a grave, grave sin indeed.

Could the Uchiha tell that Naruto had not been the slightest bit pleased? To further make a point, Naruto shoved an angry finger up the crinkled, upturned foe, demanded the trespasser to "fuck off", and returned to his warm little haven of happy dreams. Boyfriend or not, NO ONE disturbed an Uzumaki while he slept.

Violators would not be tolerated.

Second time violators would be given an angry finger.

And it was that very angry finger that Uchiha Sasuke bit, after he managed to dig out the sleeping blond from the large pile of blankets.

"Served you right," Sasuke had said, referring to the offended finger. "You naughty, naughty boy."

Naruto had flailed, whined, screamed and cried for the Uchiha to leave him be. He even opted to seduce the Uchiha to sleep with him… literally of course.

"Bed with me, Sexxy daddy!" He had purred.

Sasuke raised amused eyebrows.

His boyfriend proved to be one stubborn ass.

"No. We're going to take a walk in the park." He had stated monotonously, causing another fit from the blond.

HE WOKE ME UP TO TAKE A STROLL IN SOME DAMNED PARK?!

A random thought occurred to the blond as he had dragged himself to his bathroom, muttering happy blasphemies to Sasuke who had opted to tidy the blonds room up a bit. What if he'd fallen in love with another boy, someone less complicated, less tempered and one that would not rouse happily sleeping people from their happy dreams? What if he'd never met Sasuke and had fallen for an easy-going romantic, who lived to serve cute, contentedly sleeping blond boys? Someone that didn't cause heartaches or overly fluttery stomachs; someone devoted; someone who worshipped the empty ramen cups he'd carelessly thrown on the floor two weeks ago. Would life have been easier? Better? Would he have been happier?

Possibly, Naruto had thought. Life could've been easier, much smoother and far less dramatic. Maybe life could even be better since he needed not to go through the emotional rollercoaster when they argued over petty things. Happier? Who wouldn't be with such a devoted little minion?

But, Naruto concluded as he shot back to reality, smiled and squeezed Sasuke's hand back, he wouldn't have been contented.

Briefly, he stared at his boyfriend's serene face, proud that the Uchiha had taken a liking to nature.

Acquiring a boyfriend wasn't the same as hiring a servant without pay, Naruto thought. Boyfriends weren't supposed to revolve solely around their boyfriends, serving them even to the most outrageous of orders. Boyfriends were meant to disagree with you, to argue with you and to love you without being told to. They were meant to piss you off, take care of you, smile, laugh and do anything without obligation.

Having one meant rainy days and bright sunny days and Naruto decided he would accept which ever one. He'd buy himself an umbrella if the rain persisted.

He would never trade Sasuke for any other person.

Because he loved Sasuke way too much for that.

He would always love Uchiha Sasuke.

"Oi. Baka. Do I need to make sure you keep walking too?" Sasuke asked, shattering all thought from Naruto's mind. "Quit spacing out and walk."

Not bothering to mumble something incoherent to Sasuke's comment, Naruto shook his head and smiled up to his boyfriend. They continued walking as Naruto made sure their shoulders occasionally brushed together. He brought their clasped hands chest high and examined them intently.

It was odd. It was odd but pleasantly so. He'd never pegged Sasuke to be affectionate. The cuddle incident in the hospital he let slip, rationalizing that it was some fever induced stupor. But now with their hands intertwined, Naruto doubted the fever was still in tow. Sasuke had been deceiving him with impassive retorts and effective scowls. Who knew, maybe deep down the Uchiha was some Romeo in disguise. He rotated their hands, inspecting each angle of their perfectly laced fingers. He glanced at Sasuke's face whose finely shaped brow had lifted, mocking him… taunting him… wondering when the blond had finally lost it. Nope. Not a Romeo.

"Spring fever." Naruto suddenly announced as he dropped their hands to their original positions.

Sasuke paused in his tracks, looking questioningly at the blond who was once again woven in deep thought. "Excuse me?"

Turning back, Naruto rubbed his thumb and pointer finger along the edge of his chin. "Uchiha Sasuke. You've gone and got yourself the love bug." He said, mimicking that of a doctor's analysis.

He clasped his hands together, looked up at the sky and smiled at the love filled world. "Ah, Spring is finally here!" he said dreamily, watching love stricken birds glide through the open sky.

"Love bug?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, lips forming an amused smirk. "I hate to burst your bubble, Uzumaki." He playfully whacked the blond head, ruffling blond locks to a hectic mess. "But it's the middle of fall."

**-------------------------------------------------**

Affectionately holding hands in the park was one fairy tale come to life for Uzumaki Naruto, but this was entirely different. Entirely not fun.

"You're using me." Naruto grumbled as the arm around his waist snaked lower. "You're abusing you're position as my boyfriend."

Once they had reached school grounds, Uchiha Sasuke's display of affection had intensified the moment blushing schoolgirls swooned at his appearance. Every potential blushing female heading their way was greeted with the sight of the Uchiha kissing, hugging or groping the unfortunate blonde. To say the least, Naruto was not amused. He was embarrassed, red and he wanted to kick Uchiha ass to another century.

"Of course not." Sasuke stated in a business like manner. "I'm simply using my resources practically."

From the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Sasuke smirk. The bastard was playing with him!

They proceeded to walk, side by side with the Uchiha's arm possessively wrapped around Naruto's slimmer waste.

And then the words dawned to him.

Resource…

Resource?

RE-FRICKEN-SOURCE?!

Before Naruto had even the slightest chance to go barbarian on Sasuke, two girls, giddy and giggling began to approach the duo, eyes locked intently on their dark haired prince. They halted, eyes wide and filled with an upset shock as their prince, their perfect candidate for husband, hugged Naruto, their unexpected envy, from behind. They ran off, scared, shocked and jealous over their blond haired foe.

Together, they watched disdained ladies run.

"You.are.a.jerk." Naruto stated flatly, his eyes squinting to impossible little slits. Still engulfed within Sasuke's arms, he slumped back onto him, cheeks burning for the umpteenth time that day.

Sasuke nuzzled the blonds neck, lightly nibbling on the soft skin. "But I'm your jerk." He purred before biting where neck joined shoulder. The slight sting got rationality to engulf Sasuke's purring from Naruto's mind.

He was in school, in the bastard's arms with the bastard gnawing angry Sasuke marks all over his neck…

"GODDAMNIT TEME! GET OFF!"

**-------------------------------------------------**

He was the both envy and foe of the female population, the topic of the males. Whenever he'd pass by, students instantly shushed, staring at him as they nudged their friend's sides.

"He's the one."

"HIM?!"

"Yeah."

"So lucky!"

Naruto had just gotten a share of Sasuke's spotlight and already he hated it. Everyone's eyes were set directly on every part of his body, examining him, wondering why HIM Uchiha, WHY?!

They spoke in shushed tones as he passed; some even brave enough to confirm the spreading rumor.

"A-ano… N-Naruto kun?"

Naruto turned and regarded the courageous young female with a questioning "Eh?"

"You and, ano… You're not together, right?" She fidgeted, he brown braids swung slightly as she dug her feet to the ground. _SayNOsayNOsayNO!_

This hadn't been the first time he'd been approached by jealous females who wished, no, and insisted that the rumors be false. Why were they approaching HIM?! Sasuke _had_ to be around the campus _somewhere _and it had been his own damned fault in the first place. The jerk had used him as the female-fan-girl repellant so why the HECK wasn't it working now?!

"Oh. Hehe. Ah." Naruto stammered. He grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

What to say? What to say?! What to say!

His first encounter had not been memorable. He'd decided to be truthful and answered "Yeah, guess we are" only to be chased down the corridor by some monstrous being, shouting angry 'YOU STOLE HIM's' to the blond who could do nothing more then run from the mob of equally angry females that had all so suddenly gathered to accompany the former angry blob of estrogen. So the second inquiry, Naruto decided to refute the accusation. "No, of course not!" he'd stated with mock disgust. It would've ended happily then and there. Too bad the blond had must-insult-Sasuke syndrome whenever he spoke vehemently of the broody boy. He'd ranted on, muttering a few 'bastards' and accusing him of a few 'temes' not realizing that he'd gathered the second batch of the angry female population. So ran Naruto did.

It was on his third attempt, that Naruto figured the best of all answers.

Stop.

Lie.

And run.

He'd managed to stop himself from all unnatural things, like squirm, rant and twitch. It was the 'lie' part he was currently having conflicts with.

What lame excuse had he used the last time?? Think Naruto, THINK!

"KIBA! THERE YOU ARE!" Naruto squealed, as he dashed off, feigning recognition for his non present friend. He dashed off, disappearing in the crowd, leaving the poor girl alone and wondering where the blond had run off to.

Naruto grinned triumphantly and headed to his class, thankful to his friend who had spared him the wrath of female anger, all drawn together in their nasty little fists.

It was another typical day in the life of Uchiha Sasuke. Students were whispering amongst themselves, discussing irrelevant gossip that revolved most likely around his dark, broody self. Girls had approached, rather, attempted to approach his highness only to be passionately scowled at. Some cried and some left. Life was pretty much back to normal. As long as they stayed clear of him, his life would forever remain peachy.

Taking the seat nearest the window and farthest from the front, Sasuke underwent his regular morning ritual, gallantly brooding till whichever teacher appeared up front.

"Wonder how the idiot's doing." He thought as he stared out the window.

Naruto sat at the very back of the very empty room. Thankfully, people were all still outside, still talking and still engaged in their happy little rumors of the unhappy little blond. With a soft thud, Naruto's head made contact with his table. He sighed tiredly as he attempted to rest in an uncomfortable position on an uncomfortable table.

His attempts were however interrupted as the door handle twisted and a set of familiar voices reached Naruto's ears.

"I'm going to kill that piece of shit!" Kiba.

A sigh then a lazy, "Such troublesome boy." Shikamaru.

Naruto gulped, instinctively knowing that he was the topic of their conversation and hoping he was wrong at the same time.

"I'll eat him alive!" Chouji. "I'll turn him to Naru-shimi!"

And Naruto died. It was a symbolic death but he died nonetheless.

They were angry. Even Shikamaru sounded ticked. SHIKAMARU! Naruto had never heard Shikamaru sound like that and never had he suspected his ever lazy friend to be capable of being pissed. What on earth had he done to deserve Shikamaru's wrath, Kiba's homicidal declaration and Chouji's cannibalism?!

Nervously, he wracked his brain to recall any incident, anything at all, to figure out what he'd done to provoke his friends. Last Friday they'd parted with happy smiles and boisterous laughter. Both Saturday and Sunday were spent with Sasuke so it couldn't have been them. He had yet to talk to them about any of the transpiring incidents what with all the rumor-filled-females.

…

…

THE RUMOR-filled-females!

Naruto lightly thunked his head from under the teachers table, the place he'd sought refuge in the moment the door knob turned to prevent more questioning from random strangers.

There were no other explanations. His friends were pissed because of his rumored relationship with the Uchiha. Were they angry because it was the Uchiha he'd decided on or was it because he was… gay?

Gay.

He was gay.

Was that why his friends were displeased with him? Had he misjudged them in thinking they'd accept him regardless his IQ, character, appearances and now sexuality? Had he so blindly disregarded their shallowness at some point?

Naruto had known them since their elementary years. The four of them were the perfect group of friends with distinctly odd personalities. They knew each other inside out, knew what each other liked and disliked. They'd start the day happy and end even happier, never parting with heavy hearts or unresolved issues. They were a group of eternal friends who planned to go to the same college, live in the same city, go to each other's weddings then hang out every Friday night.

He slammed frustrated fists on the wooden floor.

So why were they judging him based on who he loved?

"You!" Kiba's angry voice ripped Naruto from his musings as he stared at three of his friends who loomed above him from his hiding place.

"H-hi." Naruto stammered, not knowing what to do or say lest he provoke them any further.

Strong stubby fingers grabbed onto the back of his shirt collar, lifting the immobile Naruto off they floor. Chouji carried Naruto, now struggling to get free, and sat him down on one of the wooden chairs.

Three hands slammed down on the table in front of the poor blond, too stunned to do anything more then watch the semi circle his friends had formed before him. They were all staring at him, Shikamaru with raised brows, Kiba with squinted eyes and Chouji with a scrunched face.

It was Kiba who had broken the silence, deafening them all with a hollered "YOU SHIT!"

An angry finger was pointed directly below his nose, almost causing Naruto's eyes to cross.

"Ano- Guys…" Naruto looked down at his lap, refusing to make eye contact with any of the three. "I'm… I'm really sorry, okay?"

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Chouji puffed.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Shikamaru nod.

_Sorry doesn't cut it?_ Since when had sorry not cut it? They were friends! They were supposed to forgive each other or at least try to resolve things!

"Look!" Naruto stood in his fury, knocking the chair to the falling to the floor. "I said I was SORRY! I can't help who I love!"

Kiba's face twisted in confusion. Then, looked slightly amused. "You dick-"

"That's right Kiba!! I still have a dick! The SAME old dick on the SAME old me, the SAME damned person!! I haven't changed just because I associate myself with _different_ people!" Naruto seethed. If Kiba was going to tease him about something he had no control over, something that wasn't even bad, then he'd tell Kiba a piece of his mind.

With a frustrated yelp, Naruto tackled Kiba to the floor, both boys wrestling to gain dominance both intending to prove their points.

There was an angry smack and a pulling of limbs.

"WHO THE HELL _DO_ YOU _–ARGH!-_ ASSOCIATE WITH, UZUMAKI?! THE FRICKEN FEMALE MAFIA?!"

"JUST BECAUSE SASUKE- What?!" Naruto halted, his hands still entangled in Kiba's hair. "What?" He repeated as Kiba's grip loosened from his leg.

"You're fricken' female minions, that's what!" Kiba spat as he tried once again to wrestle his way to triumph.

It was an unexpected reaction but Naruto did it anyway. He laughed. He laughed regardless of Kiba's biting and laughed even harder when Kiba began to growl.

"I DON'T FIND GETTING CHASED DOWN BY YOUR "FEMALE ASSOCIATES" THE LEAST BIT FUNNY, DICKWAD!"

**-------------------------------------------------**

It had been an entertaining morning with an entertaining turn of events. Turns out, Naruto wasn't the only member of the ill-fated. Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji were similarly conquered by angry-female-estrogen when they were demanded to "quit hiding Naruto".

Sheepishly, Naruto giggled his apology as he recalled having used all three of his friends as a scapegoat to run from answering questions with the effects much like a double edged sword. You were screwed which ever side hit you- screwed whichever answer you gave them.

"You're still a piece of shit."

"You're still troublesome."

"And you're still dinner."

All four laughed heartily as students gathered in the room.

"Ano…" Naruto mumbled after a moment of comfortable silence. "You guys aren't mad that I'm… gay… are you?" He met their eyes this time.

"Of course not. You've got the same old dick…" Kiba grinned imitating Naruto's outburst moments ago. "On the same old-"

Naruto blushed as his friends laughed fondly at Kiba's impersonation.

"What Kiba is trying to say is that we're not mad." Shikamaru stated after a while. Vigorously, Chouji nodded. "It makes no difference that you are what you are. There nothing wrong with being gay, Naruto. The heart chooses who it loves regardless of gender, race or what not. It's something inevitable. Troublesome but inevitable."

"Yeah. I agree with the lazy bastard. You're in love with the walking wall and you're an ass. So what?" Kiba shrugged then grinned to the scowling blond.

"Thanks, dogbreath." Naruto muttered sarcastically. In truth, he really was thankful to have friends that stuck up to him despite Kiba and his jerk-less-ness. He regretted having doubted them earlier.

"So you and the Uchiha really together, huh?" Chouji suddenly said from the seat next to Naruto's. "When did that happen?" Kiba sat closer to the blond waiting for the chance to tease him yet again as Shikamaru feigned disinterest as he unconsciously leaned in closer.

"Friday." Naruto felt his flesh go hot with embarrassment.

"Go on!"

"And? And?!"

"Friday… Friday night."

Kiba frowned and thwacked Naruto on the forehead. "Quit that!"

Chouji nodded. "Yeah Naruto. What's with the mystery? Sasuke's rubbing off on you."

And Kiba burst out in a fit of laughter.

"Chouji, my man! What an interesting way to put it!" Kiba laughed yet again, this time with Chouji snickering alongside him.

"Bet they've done more than… rub!" Kiba wiggled his brows suggestively as he tapped Chouji with his elbow.

"Perverts." Shikamaru stated, crossing his arms as he tried to stop his lips from quivering lest he let out that laugh that was raging to be set loose.

"_No_! Naruto's the pervert!"

"Our own naughty friend with the same old dick!"

"Tsk. You're both (_haha_) troublesome."

"Hah! Who's the pervert now Shikamaru!"

"Save me..." Naruto thought jadedly as he melted into his chair.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"I hate you." Naruto grumbled as he sped past Sasuke who'd been waiting near the blonds locker the moment the final bell rung.

"I missed you too." Sasuke grinned as Naruto furiously stuffed his books inside the metal compartment.

It had been a long day for one blond boy, what with his friends and peers constantly prying him for answers. He'd spent both his break and lunch at the library keenly plotting the Uchiha's demise. Kiba had even contributed to the plotting while Naruto begged Shikamaru to help as well. All he received, however, was a tired yawn and a muttered "troublesome" before Shikamaru took his nap during the middle of English class.

The whole thing had been unsuccessful which set Naruto off in a fouler mood.

"Where were you during lunch?" Sasuke asked with a hint of annoyance. He'd been searching for the blond the whole hour only to be greeted by the next period's bell.

"Plotting your demise." Naruto puffed as he closed his locker door and once again, sped past Sasuke.

How blunt. Sasuke thought as he followed the blond out of the campus and onto the path to Naruto's home.

It had been an interesting little journey with a scurrying Naruto a few feet ahead and Sasuke keeping up with his longer strides. It was odd but entertaining to the young Uchiha. Plus, it was a great way to check _someone's_ behind.

Upon reaching Naruto's home, Naruto quickly fumbled with his keys as Sasuke stood from behind.

He was ticked off at the Uchiha for not getting hunted down when he CLEARLY was at fault! This was Naruto's way of expressing Sasuke's need to be punished at least once that day despite it being a punishment for himself as well. He wanted to get snuggly with the Uchiha but he'd be damned if he let the bastard get away scot-free.

It was the rule of karma.

_What goes around comes around, right?_

After Naruto managed to get the door opened, he muttered a soft "bye" and went in without looking at Sasuke who stood amused at Naruto's odd behavior.

"No goodbye-kiss?" He asked loud enough for the blond to hear, his grin broadening as the doorknob turned and the door flew open.

As fast as he had come, Naruto had fled even quicker, leaving only the faintest remains of a kiss on Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke lingered a while, smiled and silently walked home.

_What went around didn't necessarily have to come around just as hard, right?_

**TBC…**

**

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****AN**: I have become some random writing freak. Haha. I began typing this at two in the morning, in high hopes to defeat the summer heat, finished, typed for my multiply and created a draft for my other fic. I'm tired, still very, very hot, and absolutely drowsy. Is it just me, or does life now feel like an oven? IT'S FRICKEN HOT. Everywhere is hot and everywhere I go is even hotter… I am not pleased, weather!**

* * *

****AN:** YAY! I got reviews! I wonder if this fic'll reach 200? _(watches cockroach die on floor) _Whhhaaaat? An author can dream, right?! Haha! YAY! I got reviews! I wonder if this fic'll reach 200? Whhhaaaat? An author can dream, right?! Haha! 

**Inu.Roxs** Oh COOL! I haven't had the time to see it yet, but thanks for the site! I am eternally grateful! Wheee! It'll take FOREVER to load. My seeing Sasuke once again relies on the sluggishness of my prepaid internet card. Huhuhuhu! TT

**asukann** WAHHH! YOU'VE WATCHED IT TOOO!!!!! ARRRGHHH!! SASUKE'S ADVENTURES WITH WHO?! WITH WHO DARN IT?! WITH WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?! _–Rocks back and forth in the mental hospital- _Thanks for reviewing! (And PLEASE DON'T hesitate to spoil me!) Haha!

**noali** I love it when people still review for previous chapters. Makes me feel all fluffy inside! Hehe! PLUS you reviewed TWICE! That makes me twice as fluffy inside! WHEE! I'm happy you found that funny and thanks for reviewing!

**KinkyPerfection:** LOL! Your review totally made me all GIDDY and HAPPY!! HEE! You thought I DIED?! (LOL!) I won't die yet! I'm too excited die! I'm near in completing my first fic! YAY! Keep using exclamation points! Haha! They're fun! Hope you liked this chapter too!

**Kaikouken** Wow! You're review was really flattering! HEE! I'm glad you like it so far! I hope I don't disappoint! (Your online bear hug was soo cuuute!! HEHEEHHE!)

**Ragdoll:** It did?! Haha! Wonder what this chapter brings about! Hehe!

**Dark Queen:** LOL! I'm glad you seem to like my fic! You've flattered me too! HEEEEE! I just hope you don't sue me for making your computer melt! HAHA! Thanks for reviewing!

**Banana Pancakes:** Haha! Guess I am! Hope you like this chapter too!

**Narutard Kiba** Lol! I'll try my best to make this fic longer but I really am running out of ideas! (The heat has made me absolutely brain-dead) Haha! I don't think I'll make it to a billion chapters (LOL!) but I'll try to lengthen the plot! Thanks for reviewing! HEEEEE!

Thank you to those who've reviewed! You make me all happy and inspired! Hehe!

**Inu.Roxs****asukann****noali****, KinkyPerfection, ****Kaikouken****, Ragdoll, Dark Queen, Banana Pancakes, ****Narutard Kiba**

I hope you all continue to read and review! I LOVE YOU ALL!

**-Tainted Dreams03**


	18. Lesson 16: Decisions

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

**-------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER 17: Lesson Sixteen: Decisions **

**-------------------------------------------------**

Sasuke silently walked through the empty halls of the Uchiha mansion, each step carefully placed on the dark wooden floors, his movement delicate and with feline grace. He raised his right arm, letting his fingertips languidly brush against the rough texture of the wallpaper, the shady crimson having faded through time.

Silent echoes of laughter, the gentle beauty of his mother's voice and the gruff tone of his father grunts reverberated through the hallway like a rush of air, smoothly infiltrating through his memories.

He peered through rooms that had long since been abandoned, quietly locked away and left untouched. With each opened door, Sasuke recalled the memories he dared not touch, some too painful to recall, others to warm to be remembered. The floors were lightly blanketed with dust reminding him of how long he dared forget each fragment of his past.

This side of the mansion, both brothers thought best to keep locked and hidden, lest provoke painful memories for either one. Since their parents death, neither dared to step foot in these sacred floors, both fearful to face memories torn apart by the untimely departure.

Maybe one day, they had agreed, they'd walk through these halls when they were ready, when they'd let go. And Sasuke was ready. He was ready to face their parent's death despite the years it had taken him to do so. Somehow he'd gotten a little stronger, a little more forgiving and happier; much, much happier.

He glided through the rooms, remembering each without holding back, letting each tear fall to their content. His chest tightened and his past wounds stung, but he felt better as he let each overwhelming feeling claim, penetrate and heal him.

He faced the last room, the most upsetting one of all. He set his hand on the door knob, trembling from his swell of emotions, and gently twisted it open.

His toys were still there, so messily chugged in the corner where he would sit and play with brother till late night came through. The rocking chair where his mother would sit and sew lay unmoving and empty. The large leather seat where his father would silently read books, ones Sasuke had never understood, remained vacant and unwelcoming. The ashes on their fireplace remained as it was on its last lighting and the empty mug his father drank from lay still, atop the counter. The small purple stain Sasuke had made while drawing had remained on the carpet as he recalled he and Itachi desperately trying to scrub it clean, lest Sasuke get punished.

This was their family room, a room where all four of them would gather despite ill-feeling. This was the room where his mother would knit his scarves and where his father wouldn't shout. This was the room where he felt like he belonged in his family simply because he was with his family.

Sasuke walked in, not minding the dust that gathered around his feat. Silently, he dropped to the floor beside the clutter of toys, gently picking at the plastic cars and aged stuffed animals.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke lifted his head, wordlessly peering over to his brother who began walking towards him and crouched down. Itachi surveyed his brother silently.

"It's hard." Sasuke whispered, his hands gliding through the soft fabric of the stuffed bear. "They've been gone so long."

Itachi just nodded, wearily eyeing the room, feeling the same sorrow as his brother did. This room… It was hard to be in it, but Itachi had gotten over their loss years ago.

His eyes traveled through the room as he attempted to make light conversation to lift Sasuke's mood. "Mother would sit their sometimes and sing." Itachi said, pointing to the rocking chair to the right. "Do you remember?"

Sasuke nodded recalling how he'd climb up there with her, lulled to not only the gentle swaying but to the soft song their mother sang.

"And father would just grunt and pretend not to listen." Itachi pointed out, a small grin on his face. "But he'd just sit their and smile."

Sasuke inched towards his brother, setting his head on his brother's shoulder. "Father was not a bad man."

Sasuke just nodded, his tears making their way down his cheeks. "He worried for you and he loved you as well. Remember that, Sasuke."

Sasuke had known. Sasuke had known long ago that his father did love him. His father was not bad; just a man with little compassion. His father had been raised to fancy strength and honor. Compassion and love was not something he was used to and it was a pity that it was just that that Sasuke need. His father's words were harsh but deep down, it held no meaning. Sasuke had known that and ignored it; turned it into the monster he kept to loathe himself with and the weakness his father didn't know how to handle.

All the half hearted words his father let loose were his father's own flaws. His father failed to show love, so he let anger govern his heart. His father failed to show compassion, so he let harsh words navigate his feelings. With all the bitter words and spiteful glances, lay sentiments that said 'I love you' and 'stay strong'. And now Sasuke had understood because now Sasuke was ready to forgive.

"Niisan…" Itachi turned to Sasuke, surprised at the vulnerable face that greeted him. "I want…" He took a moment to compose himself as he let his head off Itachi's shoulder. "I want to say goodbye."

Itachi nodded as he made to get up. A tug on his wrist stopped him. "Stay."

Itachi took a moment to look at his brother, nodded again and smiled. "Okay."

And together they prayed, two souls united in one prayer; silently wishing their parents well, to say their goodbyes that had been long overdue. They thanked them, told them they missed them and said they were happy. They added their personal intentions, each including the people in their lives, silently telling the story of their meetings to their parents. And with one final bow, they finished, both at ease despite their teary eyes.

As Itachi moved to stand up and his brother doing the same as well, Sasuke's voice echoed through the silent room.

"Itachi…I'll go through with the surgery."

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto wondered idly what subject they were on. He wondered where the remote was so he could punch the mute button and shut his teacher up forever. He wondered where the matches were so he could burn the fly that kept pestering his table and set it into a scorching inferno. He wondered why he was wondering so much and wondered where the heck Sasuke was.

Sasuke hadn't come to pick him up today, nor did he call to say why.

For the past few weeks, Sasuke's presence on his doorstep had already been quite a tradition. The Uchiha would come over an hour before Naruto thought fit to wake. On regular occasions, Naruto would not have let the bastard in at such a freakish hour. But Sasuke was a smart man with great knowledge of the enigma that was Naruto. He'd come over with a bag filled with breakfast and he'd let the blond sniff it before Naruto had the chance to slam the door to his face. And instantly the blond would waken albeit a little grumpy, and let the Uchiha in with open arms and a grumbling belly.

After Naruto took his bath and got ready for school, he'd come to find his room cleaned and his bed made with a grinning bastard atop it. And Naruto would blush and scowl while he handed the Uchiha his homework who'd comment and check it, making sure the blond knew his lessons and corrected his mistakes. **(1)**

And despite Naruto's grumbles and his little halfhearted curses, Naruto felt truly happy. He'd spent years alone, with no one to care for him. Naruto had never known his parents nor did he ever feel the love of one and little by little, Sasuke would mend Naruto's pain with his thoughtful display of concern.

Naruto would smile to himself as Sasuke concentrated on the papers below him, scribbling, encircling and reading intently. The blond would restrain his fancy to brush back the few loose strands of hair that would sway near Sasuke's eyes, depriving Naruto of seeing those dark eyes so focused and bright. He'd lick his lips unconsciously when Sasuke would bite on his own, still deep in thought, and Naruto would shiver recalling how good those lips felt on his. And he'd watch as the long nimble fingers scribbled elegantly with Naruto's ratty, bite-marked pencil, remembering how nicely they felt intertwined around his. When Sasuke would crinkle his nose at Naruto's mistake, Naruto would laugh silently to himself as he recalled having purposely created an error just to hear Sasuke's gentle baritone voice. And so Sasuke would lecture him on something he'd already know how to do as Naruto enjoyed the warmth of hearing, seeing and being with Sasuke. He'd create mistakes and forge ill-knowledge of what Sasuke would teach him because when he showed Sasuke he understood, Sasuke would smile and kiss him on the cheek. It was cheating, Naruto knew, but to see Sasuke's proud smile and to feel that rewarding kiss was something Naruto loved to repeat over and over again.

Sasuke took care of Naruto like a parent would a child, but he loved Naruto like a husband would a wife. And it was all so right and all so beautiful that Naruto would never forget to thank the gods at night or whisper heartfelt 'I love you's' whenever he and Sasuke parted. He'd fallen madly in love with a boy who held onto his heart so tightly and Naruto wished, hoped and prayed that Sasuke would never let go.

The bell rung loudly, surprising Naruto from his thoughts as students shuffled with their things as they got ready to go. The blond frowned slightly to himself for he'd let another subject slip by without his notice. But he shrugged it off remembering that he had his own personal teacher to lecture him at home though he doubted he'd be able to listen for he'd be too busy studying something far better then math or science. Sasuke was a whole new subject in itself.

As Naruto galloped through the mass of students, he dropped by Sasuke's locker thinking that maybe his dark haired lover had come to school late. He was disappointed however, when the bell to next period rung and still no Sasuke.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Itachi sat stiffly on his leather seat, his arms lying firmly on the dark wooden desk. He took a moment to let things set, the short trip to his office not putting his mind at ease.

The room was simple, clean and well stocked with office materials. Itachi was a busy man with much to do even outside work. What he could not stand to finish at work with the nagging secretaries and his foolish peers, he did here in his own comfortable home. This room was his comfort zone, a place where he could think freely without distraction. But right now, it was a different case.

He tapped his fingers distractedly on the table as he peered over to his younger brother who sat comfortably across him. There were no signs of worry in those dark eyes. His face remained cool and impassive, never giving a clue that he'd just concluded upon a life changing decision.

Itachi sighed irritated at how his mind and heart confused him. They spoke differently, one agreeing and the other greedily anticipating that the boy changed his mind. He never assumed it'd be this difficult when the time came that Sasuke decided. He'd always pushed Sasuke to decide sooner and now that he had, Itachi was conflicted.

"You are aware of what will happen?" Itachi asked, clasping his hands together. His brother nodded looking somewhat bored. "And of the risks?" He saw Sasuke nod once again. "And-"

"I know, Itachi." Sasuke interjected irritably, his eyes softening at sight of Itachi's frown. "I don't just want to give in." He whispered as his hands clung hard at the chairs armrest. "Not yet. Not without trying."

Itachi took a moment to collect his thoughts as he fingered the table's edges. "But the possibility of failure…"

"My heart's not strong enough to last the year, Itachi." Sasuke stated, his hands covering his left chest. "I can already feel myself dying." His fingers dug into his shirt in his miserable attempt to conceal his frustration. "I can barely get out of bed every morning…"

Itachi's fingers jerked at Sasuke's confession leaving a light scratch on the wooden table. Never in his life did he think Sasuke would ever utter those lines.

"Each day I step a little closer to my grave." He scoffed finding the words pathetic even to his own ears. "It's hard and… it hurts."

Sasuke sat trembling in his seat, afraid to look anywhere but down. He was terrified of having confessed to Itachi, afraid to get the same reaction as his father would've given. He was weak and he'd just admitted it. He was a coward and he was feebly showing it.

He stayed lost in his pour of emotion until he felt warm hands squeeze his shoulder.

"I don't… I don't want to be sick anymore." He whispered as Itachi drew his head to lie on his stomach. "I don't want to die!"

Itachi embraced his brother with a quivering heart. He could offer no words to comfort, no assurances to convince Sasuke's flickering hope. He just held his brother with supportive arms, hoping it was enough to help Sasuke's fall.

**-------------------------------------------------**

"You will undergo a handful of evaluations." The doctor stated, his tone notifying both brothers just exactly how tiring the whole process would be. "During which, a set of procedures will take place."

Itachi nodded wearily at the doctors explanations. He squeezed Sasuke's arm idly wondering to himself if this was indeed the best way to go. It all seemed strenuous, and his brother would be facing a number of obstacles.

Sasuke listened to the doctor's explanations as he began ticking what procedures he'd be undergoing with his fingers. His doctor was an old man with a balding head. His hair had long since grayed which Sasuke assumed was due to the hours of stress the man would endure. A gentle faced man with cheery eyes seemed unsuited to undertake the role of a doctor. But he was knowledgeable in his field and his experience was well recognized.

"We need to take much caution with infections which is why a dental evaluation will be taking place. Any potential infections whatsoever could become troublesome after the transplantation."

Once again, Itachi nodded as he eyed Sasuke with much unease. Could Sasuke really go through with everything? Would he wake healed the next day?

"Now, Sasuke…" The doctor's face abruptly became serious, his mouth forming a frown. "I cannot… assure that this operation will end… successfully." He said, trying his best to choose his words with much caution. They'd gone through this before, but there was no harm in repeating it over again. "But the sooner you get through with this, the better." The man clasped his hands together, his eyes intently observing the young man in front of him. "Are you prepared to go through with this, Sasuke?"

Without second thought, Sasuke spoke, his answer firm and confident. "I am."

The doctor smiled slowly, his eyes crinkling as he did. "Then I expect to see you here soon." As the three shook hands and uttered their goodbyes, the doctor's sad eyes followed Sasuke as he made his way out the room.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto sat quietly as Gaara discussed what they'd be doing for next week's group project. Both Kiba and Shikamaru had left earlier on while Chouji had been a no show. Chouji had called in sick most likely from indigestion, Naruto thought with a grin. "So I guess that's it…" Gaara said, searching his mind for any other detail he's possibly missed.

"Alright." Naruto smiled as he stuffed his notebook in his bag. "I'll tell Chouji what we've discussed so far."

"Tell the others to do their part tonight." Gaara stated with a slight growl. Kiba had a knack for "forgetting" things.

"Yes sir!" Naruto grinned as he noticed Gaara's forehead crinkle. It was difficult to tell when Gaara actually did raise his eyebrows…

"That includes you, Uzumaki." Gaara said dryly, his arms crossing.

Naruto's face fell as he set his book bag down with a thump. "Aww, c'mon…"

"Tonight." His tone was flat and his words threatening. Naruto shivered, wondering where the heck the cold air had come from.

"Fine, fine." The blond grumbled as he made his way out and Gaara following behind.

They made their way to their lockers, as Naruto halted at the sight of a familiar figure coolly leaning against his.

"Sasuke...?" Naruto beamed, happy for Sasuke's sudden appearance. He rushed to his boyfriend's side, frowning slightly at Sasuke's tired features.

"You look a little pale…" He drifted off as Sasuke shrugged and smiled.

"I'm fine." He flicked the blonds nose. "Serious doesn't suit your face, dobe."

Naruto's face soured, his concern for the Uchiha having temporarily evaporated with Sasuke's offensive forefinger. He muttered a curse as he rubbed the tip of his nose. "Did you manage to eat breakfast without me?" He asked feeling little guilty for missing a morning to care for the blond. Nonchalantly, he wondered if Naruto had cleaned up for himself.

"Do I look disabled to you, bastard?!" Naruto fumed, his hands cutely placed on his hips.

"Where were you anyways?" He said, the worry returning to his face.

"Nowhere. You don't need to worry, baka." Sasuke said as he ruffled the blonds hair. He knew lying to Naruto was not exactly the best thing to do, but the blond looked like he'd been having a nice day, Sasuke felt it'd be rude to spoil it.

He grinned as the blond attempted to shoo Sasuke's hand away. His eyes suddenly took notice of the redhead who'd been silently observing the couple.

Sasuke's lips curled to an evil grin as he recalled the redhead clearly. Sasuke's possessiveness sprang to life as he eyed Gaara's stony face with bitter eyes. A little payback, he thought to himself as he pulled the blond to his chest and kissed him feverously.

Gaara rolled his eyes as he shook his head in distaste. "Exhibitionist." He muttered to himself as he made his way to his locker.

**TBC…**

**

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_- I'm no doctor so if my facts aren't correct, I apologize. _**

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**(1) **I'm jealous. Wanna wanna wanna steal Naruto's boyfriend NOW!

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**A/N:** Sorry for the slight delay! I was a little busy last week, plus, my internet connection seemed to be dying. Last week, it was down to 12.1 kbps though it's getting (slightly) better now at 21.6. It's still so sloooooow!

And OH! I've watched the first eight episodes of Shippuuden and OMIGOODNESS! I LOOOVE the ending song (Shooting Star)! The one with Naruto staring up the stars with that (_eek_!) vulnerable look on his face! WAH! It makes me wanna draw Sasuke up there with him!

I'm a little sad since my story is coming to an end and that Sasuke will die from falling off a cliff. _(Ducks knife_) I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Haha! I'll miss all you guys... It just won't be the same without you all! (_Pouts_). Ah well! It's still not over yet so I'll save the drama for later!

My next update will most likely be late next week or the week after. I'm torn between three fics (yeah, it's my fault, I know! But I just can't resist!!!) I'll keep this in priority though and I'll try not to keep you all waiting too long. If it makes it any better, I've already started with the next chapter. It's the last, (SORRY **Narutard Kiba** but I couldn't think of anything else!!! _Mopes at your feet. _I TRIEEEED! I really did!!!!) It'll be quite long though and he.he.he. It's not happy.

Now onto replies!

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****asukann** Yeap! Please do spoil me and I'll forever be grateful! _Indulge me_…! Yeap! Please do spoil me and I'll forever be grateful! …! 

I really LOVE spoilers considering how much I hate surprise twists and stuff. All my friends pummel me to the ground every time I borrow stuff from them and then _oblige_ them to give a detailed synopsis of it later. Hehe. I've watched the first 8 episodes of Shippuuden and yes. Sasuke's got ass. Lots of it too! Haha!

**InuyashasEars** People could review that everyday, but I'd never grow tired of it! It's music to any authors ears! Thanks! (Also for reviewing twice!)

**Dragon77** HAHA!! Yes, yes. It's here! (Though a little late, but here!)

**Kaikouken** Lol! Hrm… An aroused Naruto… Hrm… LOL! That would've been funny, but that would have made me all squeamish considering I'd have to write that down! Haha! I'm still not comfortable with writing the more "adult scenes" which is pretty much why I started with a 'T'. Hehe! The kissing and groping on my M fic is already killing me with embarrassment… I don't even know why!

Heeheehee! You're right! You're right! I'm prepared to _attempt_ an angst/drama-ish ending and I've even got a bunch of songs ready to play while I write! Nyehehehe! It's weird, but I can't write without music.

… Ugh. I am in fact, stuck in a tropical place during summer… I'll continue to dehydrate for THAT long?! Oh my… Well, despite the heat, you're review has made it a bit more bearable! I don't mind the ranting at all! Haha! I've made quite a lengthy reply myself. Thanks for the nice, long happy review! I really appreciate it along with your online bearhugs!!! Oh! It's totally touching that you'd reread the whole story over just to review! (_Sniff_) ThankyouThankyouThankyou!

**too happy:** Haha! That's cool. I'd love to have a Sasuke-like teacher. It must be fun when he gets all pissy. Heehee!!!

**KV5 Egypt** Wow! Thank you! Wow! Haha! I'm at loss for what to say but your review really was gratifying! As in, really, REALLY gratifying! I'm glad you've enjoyed my story and I do hope that I don't disappoint! Thank you again! You've managed blow me away with your words!

**Kuso.Girl** Hee! Glad you like it! Sorry it took a bit long to update!

**LadyLiv:** Aww. I'm sorry that you had a bad day but I'm glad the last chapter helped! I hope that whatever troubled you that day's gone and that today's much better! Also, thank you for reviewing twice! My computer (well technically my internet connection) is a little screwy too. Damn technology. Hehe!

**KinkyPerfection:** LOL! Don't indulge me too much with flattery or I might not be able to write from absolute blissfulness! Haha! (Really, you've made me giddy again! You seem to have that effect!) I love you're reviews and I really do love replying to them! I'll look forward to seeing you in the last few chapters!

**jureez maude** Teehee! They're a bit young for matrimony, but who knows? I may end up writing just that, or at least hinting it! Hehe! Thank your for suggesting the idea!

**DarkRavie** Hee! Thank you! Thank you! Rest assured, I won't even think of discontinuing this. Thanks for reviewing twice!

**Narutard Kiba** LOL! The heat hasn't disappeared though the nights are more bearable! It's rather odd but I can't sleep without a blanket wrapped around me. My dad laughs his head off whenever I complain about it being hot. He's all, "Doi!" Hehe. Thanks for the review! (Also, if I may add – I've taken down Beneath the Sakura Tree and replaced it with Safeguarded (I've been considering your review for that fic, thanks). The first entry's similar so you need not read it if your still interested. I'll get on to writing the second soon. Thanks again!)

**blue-genjutsu** Ah, it's fine, it's fine! I'm just thrilled you loved 'em! Thanks!!

**Lunar Chasmodai** OMG! LOL! You're review totally made me laugh! Now I'm hyper and giddy. WHEE!! It must be the heat, but I could've sworn I heard a whip "whapack" somewhere. HAH!!! And geh! INK MINIONS!! HEEHEE! Loved your review! Thanks!

**Zoomi**Hehe! If my boyfriend woke me up just to walk in the park, I'd probably kill him first, get over my sleepiness, be all giddy and happy then drag his corpse out to the park and have that walk! Haha! Kidding! Yeah. A boyfriend like that would be nice! Thank you for reviewing and I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the last chapter!

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**asukann, ****InuyashasEars, ****Dragon77, ****Kaikouken****, too happy, ****KV5 Egypt, ****Kuso.Girl****, Banana Pancakes, LadyLiv, KinkyPerfection, ****jureez maude, ****DarkRavie, ****Narutard Kiba, ****blue-genjutsu, ****Lunar Chasmodai, ****Zoomi**.

**A/N:** Thank you all for reviewing! I'm really happy at the amount of people who continue to read and review for this fic! HEE! I wanna smother you all with funky hugs and kisses! Also, my little fantasy of achieving 200 reviews has a shot at coming true! Ohmigoodness! Just a few more! I hope you continue to read and enjoy! Thank you all again!

**-Tainted Dreams03**


	19. Lesson 17: Standing on the Edge

**Tonight's My Eternity**

Tainted Dreams 03

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warnings: Bad grammar (especially spelling)… Poor attempts at Japanese… and I'll probably have out-of-character characters. **

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**CHAPTER 19: Lesson Seventeen: Standing on the Edge**

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It was one of those days when Sasuke woke up too tired to move. Those days when you woke up feeling like lead, your body seemingly weighed down by a thousand bricks, ready to topple over with each short breath you took. He felt like he'd run a marathon in his sleep, never regaining the energy he needed to move.

For such a cold morning, he was sweating. He was hot, he was cold, he was shivering for no reason. He felt sticky and blood seemed to cascade from his cheeks for it seemed to prickle; a cold departure of blood. The room was spinning and he'd be rolling his eyes at his helplessness if he weren't so dizzy.

He blinked once.

Twice.

It really was getting hard to breathe. The alarm had gone off minutes ago, but he lay still, deciding it was best not to fight it.

It was tough to rise to a new day with the thought of death on ones mind. It was a bite of reality that managed sting the raw wound of Sasuke's emotions. He wasn't stupid nor was he ignorant. He faced the possibility of dying each day, of dropping dead each moment. He was close to decaying, his body deteriorating and what little of his will, close to surrendering.

He'd be having his surgery soon; something his heart both anticipated and feared. Much like Itachi, an array of uncertainty often crossed his mind, confusing his resolve even further. Every now and then he'd lose his optimism, more often then not figuring it'd be enough to linger on until his heart stopped and his body gave in. Days like that came often as did the thoughts that plagued his mind, dragging him further from his fancy for life.

It was when he held the receiver to his ear, his fingers dialing their way to withdraw his surgery that Sasuke would think of Naruto. He'd linger, his fingers pausing limply atop the numbers as he reconsidered his choices and reexamined his incentive. With the brilliant blue eyes and the endearing smile etched fixedly to his mind, he'd put down the receiver with mended determination and stifled fears.

With a heavy sigh, he glanced at his clock, the digital numbers revealing he'd wasted fifteen minutes in bed. Gingerly, he got up with a small groan as he lifted his body off the comfortable mattress below. With a small intake of breath, he waited for the dizziness to fade before making his way to his bathroom.

He had an angel to visit.

**-------------------------------------------------**

Steam escaped through the small slit where Naruto had parted the door, his blue eyes peeping uncomfortably about the room. "Uhh…Sasuke?" He murmured as he spotted Sasuke laying belly down on his bed, a pages of his homework neatly placed in a pile beside him.

Sasuke glanced at where Naruto, rather, a part of Naruto was, the slightly opened door revealing only a fourth of the blonds face. "What is it, dobe?"

Naruto laughed shyly, his fingers twiddling with the door handle.

"I forgot my towel."

The blond fidgeted uncomfortably as he felt his cheeks heat up.

"Could you uh… hand it over?" He asked hesitantly, silently cursing himself for forgetting to put one in the bathroom. He'd done his laundry last night, his towel included in the hefty pile of dirty clothes.

Sasuke's head popped up from where it had been bowed down over Naruto's homework, a devilish grin slowly spreading over his face.

"You're naked?" He asked expectantly as he sat up looking much like a dog getting excited to go out for a walk.

Naruto blushed a furious red, wincing as the Uchiha's grin widened at impossible lengths.

"No, pervert!" He grumbled, jerking the door into a smaller slit lest the Uchiha dare peep through.

"There are towels in the closet over there." His arms slithered through the small gap, his finger pointing to the small wooden cabinet right across the room.

Sasuke's eager face drooped to utter disappointment. "You're… not naked?"

"No, TEME!" Naruto groused, his embarrassment suddenly withering. "Towel. There. Now!" His pointer finger shook impatiently to the direction of the closet.

Sasuke glanced to where Naruto was pointing, grinned and lay back down.

"No." He stated as he resumed his inspection on Naruto's homework.

"You're not naked." He whined, trying his best to stifle the laugh that had been persistently nagging at his lips.

Naruto refuse to give in to the urge to bang his head on the counter, figuring it'd be much more fulfilling to bang the Uchiha's head instead.

"Fine." He muttered aloud, quickly gaining Sasuke's attention. "I'm in the nude… Buck naked, in a very sexy state of undress!" he purred, beaming in victory as the Uchiha's ears perked and he instantly got up and made his way to the blond, a towel at hand.

The villainous grin on the Uchiha's face had returned sending rapidly blinking warning signs through Naruto's very damp head. He shook it off figuring he'd just grab the towel and slam the door shut before the bastard could do damage.

He nodded, assured, as Sasuke drew nearer.

The Uchiha stood in front of the bathroom door perversely hoping to catch a glimpse of Naruto in his birthday suit. Much like a snake would its prey, Naruto's arm grabbed for his towel in lightening speed. His attempts were however, obscured when Sasuke caught hold of his arm, his other hand pushing the bathroom door wide open. As quick as his actions had been, his face fell at equal speed, if not faster.

"You lie!" Sasuke accused, displeasure stamped heavily across his face.

Naruto clung to his damp boxer shorts as he eyed the Uchiha suspiciously. He'd smartly put some on the moment Sasuke's face contorted into that of a dirty old man's. He held out his hand, expectantly eyeing the towel on Sasuke's hand.

"Gimme!"

"No." Sasuke shook his head as he shifted his weight to his right foot. He smirked at the dirty look Naruto was giving him. "You used me."

"I didn't want to drip all over the floor."

The blond reached for the towel, unsuccessfully attempting to pull it free from the Uchiha's hold.

"Gimme!"

Sasuke almost burst in a fit of laughter from the way Naruto kept tugging at his towel. The blond sounded like a squeaky chipmunk for every time he yanked at the towel he'd make quick, funny little "eeh" sounds.

Finding each of his feeble attempts to be futile, Naruto pursed his lips cutely opting to stare at the Uchiha until he either burned on the spot or gave in.

"Come here." Sasuke smiled as he urged Naruto step forward with his fingers swaying about. The blond hesitated a bit before going over to Sasuke who gently turned him around.

"What-"

"I'm drying you." Sasuke stated as he glided Naruto's towel across the boys back, chest and arms.

"You'll catch a cold."

Naruto puffed his cheeks, stiffening his head as the Uchiha began rubbing it dry. "And who's fault would that be?!" Naruto grouched, his arms crossing in front of him.

"Yours."

"Nooo!" Naruto droned. He turned around to face the Uchiha. "You're the one that wouldn't give me the damn towel!"

Sasuke grinned as he looked down to find that he'd forgotten to dry Naruto's legs. "Well, you lied, Uzumaki."

He bent down and began wiping the droplets of water off of Naruto's left leg. "You said you'd be in a very sexy state of undress."

At a deliberately slow pace, he rubbed at Naruto's slim leg, glancing up sexily at the red-faced boy as he did.

Naruto's heart had sped as did his temperature which seemed to rise far quicker then his breathing. Had the Uchiha suddenly twirled him around or was the room spinning? Was it Sasuke's or his heart that he heard, loudly thumping within its ribcage?

Since when had Sasuke abandoned the towel and was that Sasuke's hand riding up his thighs?!

Sasuke's hands traveled along Naruto's legs, enjoying the warmth of Naruto's body and the feel of smooth skin along his palms. He felt Naruto's shaky grip on his shoulders, his fingers jerking as Sasuke squeezed Naruto's luscious globes.

"Very sexy"Sasuke glided his fingertips across the small of Naruto's back sending shivers along the blonds spine.

"Indeed." He nodded in confirmation as his tongue darted out to lick around Naruto's bellybutton.

From where he was kneeled down, Sasuke could see Naruto's dazed face, his teeth chewing on his lower lip to stifle the moans that had been raging to get lose. Sasuke smirked working his skillful tongue in and out of the blonds bellybutton, idly wondering if he could get the blond to respond.

"State of undress…" Sasuke purred as he felt Naruto's knees buckle slightly, his weight driving onto Sasuke's shoulders. He smirked after giving Naruto's stomach a quick peck.

"I think not, Uzumaki." His fingers lightly tugged on Naruto's boxer shorts, instantly snapping the blond from his lustful daze.

"PERVERT!!!" was the last screamed obscenity that Sasuke heard before he burst in a fit of laughter.

That was certainly some response, he thought to himself as he stood from his position on the floor. **(1)**

**-------------------------------------------------**

"Hands off, bastard!" Naruto commanded the moment he saw the Uchiha's hands attempt to grab his own. He shrugged off Sasuke's arm that had persistently managed to hook on his waist, glaring daggers at the grinning boy as he did.

"Pervert." He muttered under his breath, slapping Sasuke across the chest with a light smack.

Sasuke smiled as he stared at the blond who'd managed to walk ahead of him. Whenever Naruto got either pissed or embarrassed, he'd shrug Sasuke off and walk ahead, pretending to ignore the raven despite his constant peeping.

It was on this occasion that the blond turned to look back as Sasuke waved cheekily to spite him.

"Good morning, Sasuke!" A pale hand clamped onto Sasuke's shoulder as the owner walked merrily beside him.

"Neji." Sasuke nodded to his cousin, expertly maneuvering out of Neji's grasp.

"Oi! Neji!"

Upon seeing Neji beside Sasuke, Naruto rushed over to his friend, greeting him with a cheerful smile. The boy smiled in return, good naturedly ruffling Naruto's hair in greeting.

They walked through the park; the autumn leaves lightly crunching with each step they took. With Sasuke behind Naruto and Neji, he watched as the two made light conversation.

Winter was nearing, and Sasuke watched as Naruto talked excitedly to his friend, his breath visibly seen due to the cold air. He walked silently, content at observing the slight pink of Naruto's cheeks and the brightness in those blue eyes.

As Naruto drew close to Neji, a tinge of possessiveness pinched at Sasuke's heart as the boy whispered something to his cousin's ear. He strained his ears to hear, but to his dismay, heard nothing. As Naruto giggled embarrassedly, Neji whispered something back, though when he did, his eyes had traveled to the Uchiha who now had to resist the urge to crane his head close. His cousin grinned at him, an obvious hint at what the topic of their gossip was about.

Naruto nodded vigorously, the tinge of pink turning to a deep red as he muttered something to Neji's ear who in turn, began laughing as composedly as his roaring laughter would allow.

"I don't believe it!" He gasped, eying Sasuke with humorous eyes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he pretended to survey the surroundings with great interest. "Che."

Their walk had consisted of hushed conversations and much surveying from Neji which almost drove Sasuke mad. He was one to not meddle, but as the giggling grew worse and the whispers became more excited, Sasuke's indifference had slowly gone with the autumn wind.

Much to his utter relief, they reached school grounds with his resolve in place despite the furious finger marks on the palm of his hands. He'd been so tempted to pry into their conversation that Sasuke had needed to stop himself lest break his moral ways.

"I'll see you later." He stated from behind, as he gave Neji a curt nod.

"Eh?" Naruto looked over to Sasuke confused.

He followed the raven haired boy who'd managed to walk from them, tugging his sleeve to gain his attention.

"You aren't going to school again?" Naruto asked, his head cocking to the side in confusion. Sasuke had been skipping school for the past week, often just dropping over to Naruto's and escorting him every morning.

"No." Sasuke stated, fondly patting Naruto on the head.

"Be good." He kissed Naruto on the forehead, glad that Naruto had not evaded.

"Why?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his look inquiring. "Huh?"

"You haven't been going to school. Why?" Naruto looked to the ground, a little hurt that Sasuke hadn't been telling him the reason, despite his constant queries.

Sasuke assessed the blond hastily as he wondered whether it'd be best to tell the blond. He shrugged the train of thought off as the morning bell rung. He knew from instinct that if he did tell the blond, Naruto would spend the day in worry. He smiled at Naruto, blissful that his boyfriend had been sweet enough to worry but decided instantly he'd keep the reasons for himself lest he spoil the blonds day.

"I don't feel like it." He stated bluntly, wincing at how unconvincing his own words sounded. He lifted Naruto's chin with his thumb and forefinger as he smiled warmly at the blond. "Look at me, Naruto."

The blond lifted his eyes, albeit a bit slowly, gazing fixedly at Sasuke's darker ones. "You aren't in trouble or anything, right?"

Sasuke grinned and shook his head, caressing the blonds rosy cheek with his palm. "Hn." He stated, neither wanting to lie or affirm whatever Naruto's suspicion was.

Taking Sasuke's reply as a favorable one, Naruto grinned hugging the Uchiha tightly. "Good. But you're in still in trouble with me though." He said, his voice muffled by Sasuke's chest.

"Is that so?" Sasuke grinned, knowing Naruto had taken the bait. He wrapped his arms around the lithe form that had snuggled into him.

Naruto nodded, his face still buried in Sasuke's chest. "You owe me now."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sasuke said, giving Naruto one last squeeze before they parted.

Naruto chuckled before giving Sasuke a quick peck on the cheek. "Later!" He beamed, waving goodbye to the Uchiha as he ran towards Neji. Sasuke waved back before he turned once more to leave.

"Oi!" Sasuke turned once again to find Naruto halfway to the school's gate as Neji approached him with a steady pace.

"Off to the hospital?"

Sasuke scoffed as he buried his hands onto his pockets. "None of your business."

Neji caught his arm before he walked away again, his face staring seriously at Sasuke's.

"I know of your surgery, Sasuke." Neji stated, his fingers digging onto Sasuke' arm.

Sasuke eyed Neji's fingers, annoyed that they bit onto his skin so roughly.

"Good for you." He stated monotonously, mentally prying those fingers off his arm.

"I'm serious, Uchiha."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, weirdly glancing at his cousin.

Neji sighed, not surprised at how difficult Sasuke was being. This was, indeed, a difficult topic. "You haven't told Naruto, have you?"

"No." Sasuke stated flatly, wondering when the Neji would let go and when the hell the boy had last cut those damned nails.

Neji let out a breath, fully expecting Sasuke's answer despite his initial shock. With his free hand, he squeezed the bridge of his nose feeling a little disturbed by the news. "Do you plan on telling him?" he asked, not glancing at Sasuke who had begun to glare at Neji's fingertips.

"No" he stated tediously after a moment of thought. "I don't think I will."

If possible, Neji's grip tightened causing Sasuke to wince. "Why?!" His cousin probed a bit cross at Sasuke's reaction. "He has the right to know!"

Sasuke thought a while, wondering even to himself why he had forgotten to tell Naruto at all. He bit his tongue, questioning whether or not memory was the issue. Had he deliberately excluded the truth? Yes, he thought, yes he did.

Sasuke shrugged, not really knowing the reason himself. "I'll inform him in my own time." was all he said in response while he jerked his arm free. He rubbed at the angry red marks that had polluted his pale skin.

"When, Sasuke?" Neji sneered, his composure lost from the anger he felt welling within him.

"When?! When you're wired to the machines, unconscious or after you've died?!" Neji let out a frustrated breath while kicking at the pebble beneath him.

"You insensitive, arrogant JERK! Did you ever stop to think what Naruto might feel?! Might do when he realizes you've kept something this big from him?! You're a fool, Uchiha. A damn self-centered fool!"

"Che." Sasuke jeered as he let his shaky fingers glide through his hair. "You make it sound like I won't make it."

Neji gasped, mortified that he'd let his rage get the better of him. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's fine." Sasuke interjected, glancing up at the sun as he drew in a breath.

"You're probably right." He let out a humorless laugh. "You've always been right."

Neji squeezed Sasuke's shoulder gently, hoping to provide some comfort. "Hey… Don't think so highly of me now…"

"Can we sit down?" Sasuke asked, glancing over to the park bench on his right.

Neji nodded, now aware of Sasuke's unstable posture. He couldn't help but blame himself for causing his cousin stress. A pang of guilt struck him after noticing how much their little quarrel had affected the Uchiha who walked forward pale faced and breathless.

They sat down, Neji omitting to ask if Sasuke was okay lest provoke more emotion from the boy. They sat silently awhile as Sasuke took time to regain his posture as faintly as possible.

"You scared?" Neji asked, breaking their companionable silence.

"Shitless."

Neji snorted knowing that if placed in Sasuke's position, he'd be more than scared shitless. He looked over to his cousin, proud that the boy seemed to be holding up so well though rather disappointed that he looked to be holding up too well.

"When's the big day?"

"I'll find out later."

Neji rolled his eyes as he leaned back into the wooden bench. "So you are headed there."

Sasuke smirked watching the dry leaves sweep through the brick path. "None of your business."

They were silent once again, both restfully watching autumn in action. As one particularly frosty breeze zoomed by, Sasuke found himself tugging his coat closer to his body, his lips slightly trembling from the cold. This did not go unnoticed by Neji who looked at him worriedly from the corner of his eye. The weather was bearable, nothing Sasuke couldn't handle before. In fact, with such a thick coat, Sasuke should have been rather warm.

He frowned, his concern strengthening even more.

"Neji…" Sasuke murmured, his gaze fixed forward. His cousin cocked his head, denoting that Sasuke had his attention.

"About Naruto…" He turned to his cousin, eyes sad and pleading. "Don't interfere."

"Please." Sasuke interjected right before Neji had a chance to argue once more. "Please." He repeated again. "Don't tell him."

Neji raised an eyebrow. This was certainly new. The Uchiha Sasuke, the high and mighty self-reliant Sasuke was pleading and looked about ready to beg down on both knees. Word. Neji thought with dull humor. He patted Sasuke's thigh good naturedly as he stood to go. It had only occurred to him that he'd be rather late.

"I won't give you my word, Uchiha." He dusted his pants from random leaves that had dirtied them. "I'll keep my mouth shut… But the moment I feel the need to be righteous, I won't hesitate to blabber."

Sasuke grinned, satisfied at Neji's answer. "You in the mood for righteousness now?" He asked, crossing his legs in a leisurely manner.

Neji's forehead scrunched in thought. What was the Uchiha thinking? "Depends."

"This morning… You and Naruto…" Sasuke hinted, feeling very uncomfortable at Neji's knowing scrutiny.

"Jealous?" Neji teased. How amusing.

Sasuke grunted. "Suspicious."

Neji chuckled, thoroughly entertained by how Sasuke seemed to be playing detective. "Suspicious of what, inspector?"

"I don't know. You tell me." He smirked finding Neji's antics oddly humorous.

Neji rubbed his fingers along his chin, playfully eyeing Sasuke. This reminded him so much of when they were younger, role-playing on some random afternoon.

"Young Uzumaki Naruto reported an assault that occurred this morning."

"Is that so?" Sasuke smiled recalling the events that happened not too long ago. "Does he know the offender?"

Neji shook his head. "I believe he mentioned, "perverted bastard". We have no leads as of now."

Sasuke let out a laugh that Neji absolutely loved hearing once more. It had been a while since he'd heard Sasuke in honest mirth.

"Anything else I should know?"

Neji paused in thought for a while.

"No. Though we may have to withdraw the case."

His cousin looked taken aback which Neji took the liberty of savoring.

"It can't be a lawsuit if the victim enjoyed it." He stated simply, wishing he had a camera from the look Sasuke had given him.

"He said that??"

Neji suppressed a laugh at Sasuke's eager face. "Who knows?" he shrugged, deciding it'd be his perfect exit.

He mentally patted himself on the back.

"Oi! I've not dismissed you yet." Sasuke called from behind. "Neji!"

Neji turned, giving Sasuke a naughty glance. "None of your business." He mocked as he rushed off to school.

Sasuke scowled jabbing his hands in his pocket. Karma, he thought bitterly.

_Oh how the tables have turned…_

**-------------------------------------------------**

"I'm afraid that that isn't possible, Sasuke." His doctor stated. Despite his stern voice, the man's face held deep sympathy for the boy who'd slumped down on his chair.

"We've postponed this for far too long now. I will not overlook this like I did our last meeting."

Sasuke's doctor ruffled through the hefty pile of papers neatly placed atop his large mahogany table. Surveying each and every one, he nodded as he checked the final pile.

"Once again, the results are rather favorable and we've got everything prepared…" he eyed the boy good-naturedly. "Now all we need is the patient." The man let out a short chuckle though Sasuke knew he was quite serious.

"I'm sure Itachi has informed you already," he stated, closing a folder with random statistics that Sasuke had no clue what of. "But we need you here tomorrow morning."

Sasuke twitched, not wanting to go through with the operation so soon. He still had one last thing to do.

"Just one more week." He looked at the man with desperate eyes as he bit his lower lip, wondering if his doctor would allow him that one last request.

"No, Sasuke. This was supposed to happen two weeks ago!" He chided, his voice somewhat forceful.

"You've already postponed twice and I will not have you go through the examinations once more."

Sasuke let out a frustrated growl, annoyed that his doctor would not agree.

"One week is all I ask! I doubt a couple of days will vary the results."

He balled his hands into a fist as he attempted to stay as calm as possible. What would one week do to his body? His doctor had let him off twice with little convincing. He'd not gone to school for over a week, stayed practically immobile at home and moved only to fetch and spend time with his blond lover. He followed each of his doctor's instructions and had been weary of all his restrictions. Did the man still not trust him to steer clear from possible risks? He'd said it himself. The results were in his favor, he had not harmed his heart in any way. So why wouldn't the man let him off just one last time?

"Look." His doctor reasoned despite his wavering tolerance for his persistent patient. "I let last time slide because you clearly weren't ready. I gave you time to spend with your loved ones and whatever business you had to pursue considering how sudden this all was …and because your guardian Itachi, insisted it as well."

He paused before folding his arms atop the table. "I am afraid, however, that if we postpone this for one more week, your body may not be able to get through with the surgery."

Sasuke's eyebrows creased in irritation. "I can't seem to comprehend." He spat, daring the man to come up with some random excuse. Were they all itching to rid of him so soon?

"I'm sure you are aware of your body, Sasuke." The man stared at him flatly, not bothered by the icy look the boy was giving him. "I have no doubts that you can feel your body… weakening."

Sasuke's fists unclenched as the doctor's words struck a nerve. The man was right, he thought bitterly.

"You said the results were fine." He muttered, a little embarrassed about questioning a man of his profession but still determined to convince him otherwise.

"As of now they are. But a week, even a couple of days will do harm. Your heart isn't as strong as before but I'm certain that it can withstand the operation, given you go through with it soon. As for whether it will be successful one, I cannot give my assurances."

Sasuke let himself slump down once more, his doctor unsurprisingly winning their little quarrel.

"One day." He whispered. "Just one day and that's it."

The doctor massaged his temple; a slight headache had begun to form. He let his fingers glide through the stack of papers, his mind caught in frantic indecision. He'd dealt with different patients before. There had been different personalities and quite a handful of stubborn ones. In his field of duty, he knew not to be swayed. He played an important role in the lives of his patients and despite wanting to allow their final little pleas, he knew he could not grant them all. He held the safety of these people in his hands and in the choices he made. He had to play strict with each and every one. The life of a doctor was not to grant wishes but rather to save people, whether or not they wished to just yet. But as he stared at the miserable boy in front of him, he could feel his stringent ways crumble just a bit.

Sasuke had been fighting a tough battle for far too long and he'd watched and helped the boy through each and every one. The child he'd known before couldn't have cared less whether he lived or not but the boy he saw now… he'd found something he aspired to live for. And whatever it was… Whatever that miracle was… was that something Sasuke wished to spend his final day with. He didn't have to know to be able to tell. He could see the desperation in those weary eyes; hear it in his every plea. Sasuke needed a day with his little miracle, and who was he to deprive the boy of his last pillar of strength? Surely he could stretch the rules… just once more?

With a heavy sigh, the man leaned into his chair. "This is just something I can't allow…"

Sasuke nodded, refusing to meet his doctor's eyes.

"But an unwilling patient would definitely be bothersome, wouldn't it?" The man smiled a little, purposely thinking aloud.

Sasuke's body perked, eyeing his doctor hopefully.

The man chuckled at his patient's instant eagerness, but straightened out almost immediately. With a critical tone, he said, "One day, Sasuke. Remember to take it easy."

**-------------------------------------------------**

Naruto sat cross-legged on his wooden floor, his attention attentively fixed on his small TV screen right smack in the middle of his apartment. He'd been watching random afternoon shows the moment he'd stepped home, his homework forgotten inside his book bag. Sasuke had called not too long ago foretelling his arrival that very afternoon.

Much to Naruto's disappointment, his boyfriend had not come to accompany him home when the concluding bell had finally rung. After realizing such, the blond had settled on walking the short way home, with quick partings from his friends.

Naruto had distinctly recalled Sasuke's vow to meet up with him later, and being one to keep a steady tab on his promises, Sasuke was sure to show up sooner or later.

The moment Naruto had flung his coat over at the corner, hanging be damned, he'd pivoted to the TV, a good source of distraction. True to its reputation, the appliance had snagged Naruto's interests in an instant. Too distracted by the hypnotic influences of TV Shopping, Naruto heard the door open, (the blond having left it open earlier), though he did not bother to move from his position.

Subconsciously, he knew Sasuke had arrived.

"Oi."

"Yes I'll give you my liver, now go away."

Words were no longer necessary for Sasuke had automatically smacked the blond on the head, grinning at its effectiveness as Naruto broke free from the hypnotic spell.

"Ow, asshole!" He rubbed at the spot where Sasuke had cuffed him despite the weightlessness of the attack.

"I come here and a liver is all I get?" Sasuke faked hurt, as both his hands settled at his hips.

Naruto pouted cutely before rising to his feet. "It's a very healthy liver…" he cooed, a hint of mischief glimmering in his eyes.

Sasuke shook his head in amusement listening as the blond made an attempt to sell an apparently charmingly-able organ. He eyed the program Naruto had been watching, reminding himself to throw the TV off into the Konoha river lest the blond attempt to mimic anything else.

He rid that idea from his mind as a very dirty thought involving a very dirty movie with a very dirty strip tease popped into his thoughts.

Shit.

Curse you, Itachi!

"So whatcha think??"

Not knowing what the blond had been babbling about previously, Sasuke shooed the tempting thoughts from his mind, hooking the blonds waist and drawing him close like a fish caught at sea.

"How bout a kiss instead?"

Naruto smiled, giving Sasuke a teasingly fleeting peck on the cheek.

"That was horrible!" Sasuke made a face that managed to get Naruto laughing. "Who the hell taught you to kiss like that?!"

Still caught in Sasuke's embrace, Naruto stepped back a bit to get a better view of his boyfriends face.

"My tutor."

Sasuke smirked drawing the blond closer once more. "I'll kill him." He rasped out, serious if not for the fact that the said tutor was him. "Now kiss me properly."

Naruto leaned in, swallowing hard as he looked onto Sasuke's enticing lips. He snaked his fingers onto Sasuke's neck, curling his fingers onto the soft black locks as he tiptoed to reach Sasuke at a comfortable angle. He kissed Sasuke, the desire instantaneously running through his body the moment lip met lip.

Drawing the boy impossibly closer, the Uchiha ran sneaky hands under Naruto's shirt, feeling the boy up with tender little strokes. And as their kiss drew to a halt, Sasuke managed a warm smile despite his breathlessness.

"Better."

With nothing to say and too little breath to form words with, Naruto let out a cheeky grin as he left his boyfriends restful arms.

"What do we do now?"

There was much to do and too little time, Sasuke thought with a bitter smile. But because he grew to be the boy he was now, Sasuke rid that train of thought for he'd already accepted to let fate guide his path.

"Your homework."

Two simply stated words got Naruto to halt in his path as he eyed his book bag in distaste. He mentally scorned himself for forgetting to put the damned thing away in case it caught Sasuke's observant eyes. He'd not wanted to spend his afternoon doing studious activities what with his boyfriend here to accompany him.

"Sasukeeeee..." He whined hoping to stir compassion to Sasuke's sadistic little heart.

"C'mon."

Grabbing Naruto's bag, Sasuke headed towards Naruto's bed, spreading the books neatly about the mattress. Instantly, Naruto's bed had become Sasuke's tutoring site.

Staring at Naruto's unmoving form, Sasuke patted the bed beside him, signaling the blond to hop on. His stern face telling Naruto that there was no way in hell he'd tolerate excuses.

"What do you need done?"

"Just some math problems…."

It was either in the way Sasuke had raised his eyebrows or the way his face had managed to write out "liar" that Naruto guiltily added, "and some other stuff…"

And thus the learning began with Sasuke's extensive knowledge guiding Naruto through each and every one of his assignments. What would have been done scruffily in the later hours of the night had been swiftly dealt with before the sun had vanished from the skies.

And with an exaggerated sigh Naruto tossed his pen onto the mattress, stretching his arms into the air with a goofy grin.

"Finally!"

"No." Sasuke said from beside the blond. "There's one more, doofus."

And just like that, Naruto's mood fell as did his stretched limbs.

"Eh?"

The Uchiha shook his head wondering whether Naruto had indeed forgotten or whether it was one of Naruto's not-so-sly attempts at escaping their little session. He reached into Naruto's book bag as he took out Naruto's chosen literary work.

"You still have that book report to do next week."

"But that's days away!"

Naruto looked at his boyfriend and the book on his hand disbelievingly. No way was he going to actually "read" something without resorting to the internets valuable recourses. There was absolutely no point in reading when a synopsis was a hundred times shorter!

"Then at least you'll be done before than."

"I haven't even started reading!"

Sasuke grinned flapping the pages of the paperback with his thumb.

"Then you better start now because I plan to supervise you as you read. Knowing you, you'll toss this aside and resort to cheating."

Naruto's face contorted to a scowl, sticking his tongue at his boyfriend.

"Summaries aren't cheating! Their just… convenient."

Sasuke shook his head, flapping the book in front of Naruto's face.

"It's a short novel so start reading already. I'll stay all night if I have to."

"What?! But…" Naruto looked at his boyfriends face in distress, probing his mind for any excuse… any at all…

"But I want to spend time with you!" The blond blurted only half lying. He did actually want to spend time with Sasuke.

"Alright."

Naruto sighed in relief as Sasuke smiled. The boy moved to the headboard, piling a bunch of Naruto's pillows and comfortably leaning against them as he signaled Naruto to come over.

Happily thinking that Sasuke had dropped trying to get Naruto to read, he crawled over into Sasuke's arms, his body wedged between Sasuke's legs and back resting on Sasuke's chest. His triumphant blissfulness was shattered however, the moment the book appeared in front of his face.

"Read."

Technically, they would be "spending time together" with Naruto snuggled onto Sasuke's chest. But it wasn't the "together" Naruto had been referring to, though he wouldn't be complaining if not for the damn novel.

Maybe it was the warmth of being so close to the Uchiha, or the arms that had managed to snake its way onto his stomach that Naruto felt pleasantly compliant. With his senses absorbed on Sasuke, Naruto flapped the book open doubting with every fiber of his being that he'd be able to read.

It surprised him; two hours later and more than halfway through the book that he'd actually read something other than a quick internet synopsis. He'd found himself actually liking the story and his newfound hobby of reading within his lovers embrace.

He let out a contented sigh.

"Enjoying yourself?" Sasuke asked after noticing the blond had stopped reading.

"It's… not _so_ bad."

"Che." Sasuke s smirked at the blonds shallow cover up.

If Naruto's two-hour silence hadn't blown his lame excuse, then Naruto's eagerness as he read did. "Do you need to get up?"

Despite wanting to stretch out a little, Naruto shook his head no. He was far too lost in Sasuke's warmth to even think about the cricks in his body.

So the hours went on and the pages flipped by and before long, Uzumaki Naruto had completed his first ever novel.

"I'm doneeeee!"

Heavy-eyed and somewhat weary, Sasuke winced at Naruto's wide-mouthed outburst. As the blond scooted over to put his books away in an overly excited manner, Sasuke took the time to stretch, his bones cracking as a result of staying stationary for hours.

"It's about time, dweeb."

The pencil case soaring through the air at incredible speed was Sasuke's only reply, landing close to where the raven's head would have been if he had not evaded.

Naruto pouted seeing he'd missed his target but happily went back to shoving his now completed homework in his overly stuffed bag. He'd read a whole novel!

"Oi, Naruto."

"Hm?"

Perhaps it was Sasuke's serious tone that Naruto paused in what his was doing as he glanced back to look at Sasuke. The boy was sporting a contemplative look on his face, his forehead creased and is gaze far.

"Tomorrow… What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

Puzzled, Naruto replied, "It's a weeknight, teme! I have school to attend to in the morning."

"No, I meant whether you had anything important to do. A quiz, a test? Anything?"

Naruto thought a while, searching his brain for any announcements he might have missed.

"I don't think so… Why?"

Sasuke smiled, happy he could go through with his plans. "Spend tomorrow with me, Naruto."

The blond cocked his head to the side, resisting the urge to clean out his ears. Had he heard right?

"Wha? You're actually asking me to skip school tomorrow?!"

"If you think you can afford a day off, then yes."

Now Naruto was speechless. What had he done right to loosen the stick up Sasuke's ass? Never in his life had he thought Sasuke would actually be the temptress in skipping a day of education. The man was a damn prick when it came to matters regarding school and here he was telling Naruto to skip it. Naruto looked at him in awe.

"You aren't kidding, right?"

"No. So will you?"

Giddily, Naruto nodded despite his confusion. Had he forgotten an important date? No, he concluded, he hadn't. Sasuke's birthday wasn't till a few months and his had past long before. The only event he knew was near was Christmas, but even that wasn't till a few weeks away.

Zipping his bag shut, Naruto realized something rather… disturbing.

"You jerk!" He ranted, moving to the bed where Sasuke was comfortably draped about neatly.

"You made me go through all that before inviting me to skip school with you?!"

"You can submit your homework the next day, dobe." Sasuke pointed out calmly despite Naruto's loud outburst.

"But we could've done that tomorrow! Or better yet, the morning after that!"

Being one with tendencies to leave things till the last minute, Naruto whined at his loss of time. He eyed his boyfriend with a bitter look.

Sasuke's mood abruptly dampened at Naruto's words. He wouldn't be there to help Naruto out the morning after tomorrow. That's why he'd been so persistent to help the blond through his lessons today. It was, in a way, compensation for dragging the boy out of school.

Unbeknownst to the blond, Sasuke had gone over lessons exceeding what Naruto had learnt that day, moving onto further chapters incase the blond fell at loss in school the day after his absence.

He didn't want his boyfriend to feel at loss after all…

Sasuke hid his foul mood with strained smirk, ruffling the blonds unruly locks. He stood, fearing Naruto may sense his swaying emotions and headed out the door.

"I'll see you in the morning, Naruto. Goodnight."

**TBC…**

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**(1) The closest to an intimate scene I've done! Whee!**

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****AN**: _**IT'NOT OVER?!**_ Ach! I apologize for the delay and for yet another "to be continued". Hehe! If I had not cut it, this chapter would have been annoyingly long and incredibly not here. Hehe! I'm stuck at this part and I've been stuck on it for days now. GRRRR! Talk about annoying! I just could not get in the mood of brood (effective when you're attempting to write something angsty or dramatic). I figured since the first part could stand as a separate chapter, I'd post it instead and think of the ending while you guys read on. Bah. I promise my next update will be the conclusion of Tonight's my Eternity. _(Author slumps to the floor)_ : Ach! I apologize for the delay and for yet another "to be continued". Hehe! If I had not cut it, this chapter would have been annoyingly long and incredibly not here. Hehe! I'm stuck at this part and I've been stuck on it for days now. GRRRR! Talk about annoying! I just could not get in the mood of brood (effective when you're attempting to write something angsty or dramatic). I figured since the first part could stand as a separate chapter, I'd post it instead and think of the ending while you guys read on. Bah. I promise my next update will be the conclusion of Tonight's my Eternity. **

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****blue-genjutsu** I'd be incredibly pissed off if my boyfriend did that but yeah. It's not really in Sasuke's attitude (given this circumstance) to tell. I'm sorry that I've postponed the ending and your hopes for a happy one. Hee. I'll see what I can come up with! 

**Narutard Kiba**Stop running! NOW! Lol! It's not the last chapter after all… _sigh… _I should be the one begging for forgiveness. (_Goes down on knees_) But hey… at least it's a tad bit longer, right? Hee! Loved your review by the way!

**Kaikouken**You're a lit student?! THAT'S AWESOME! Various members of my family don't want me taking that up for college. Boo. Ah well! I'm glad effective lines still exist in my story and thanks so much for telling me! (_Author is very happy_).

HAH! Senior pervert! Keep away from your computer screen!! Lol! I don't want to be held responsible when someone catches you actually doing that deed! Thanks for the really amusing review! I don't mind the length! In fact, I urge you to never shut up at all! You're really funny! Thanks!

**DarkRavie**Yeah. I agree! Though being a desperate Sasuke stalker, (and because…well… I'm writing this… lol!) I can assume Sasuke won't. Stubborn, stubborn man. Hee! Thanks for reviewing!

**jureez maude**Ohmeegoodness! I totally agree! I love that I pretty much drown in my self-induced misery whenever I read really sad, tragic-y endings though I totally die with glee when the characters get the happy ending that they deserve! Hehe! Sorry you have to wait till one more update to find out what happens! I'll wrestle my brain to hurry up!

**Kuso.Girl** Oh cooool! You're reading my story together… sort of! Hah! Don't worry! Naruto will eventually find out… whether it's by Sasuke or someone else, I shall not say! Heehee! Thanks for the review!

**Shounen-Ai** WHEE! Thanks! Sorry it took longer than planned!

**yhaio**Glad you enjoyed it! I hope this one doesn't disappoint! Thanks for reviewing!

**Lunar Chasmodai** LOL! Yet another really amusing review! Hah! Ya know… I'm starting to picture you with a bone wedged through your nose! LOL! The moment I read this review, the vision sorta… popped up! HAHA! Please tell Raymundo I need my toe for future use. (_sticks feet into smelly socks_) not so appetizing anymore, eh Raymundo?? Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**KinkyPerfection: **WHEE! I got your first review thrice! Lol! Thanks! I'm really happy you're into my story! (_Heart swells with glee_). EEP! I appreciate your reviews a lot! THANKS!!!! And LOL! FRAMANTIC?! HAHA! You never cease to make me all giggly and happy! Thanks again!

**asukann** Omg! I'm sorry I couldn't reply to you earlier but dude! THANKS for the spoilers! HEEE! Now I totally have to download the manga! Your spoiler had a spoiler! EVIILLL! LOL! Must find out now! Also, thank you for reviewing! HEEHEE!

**LadyLiv:** Yay! Thanks! I'd think it'd be boring since I've mentioned it before but I guess it turned out okay! I hope you enjoyed this one!

**Minty Chinchilla**Ack! I hope your test turned out okay?? It's alright that you haven't been reading as of late!! I'm really thrilled that you found the time to read though! Thanks for squeezing this in! And Booohoo! It's not the last chapter yet! Next update will be! Good luck with your future AP tests! I wish you the best!

**SylvanDreamer** Wow! Three reviews! COOOLL!!! Thanks a ton! You'll find out about Sasuke's operation on my next update. He hasn't gone through it yet. I'll make sure Naruto finds out, of course! HEEHEE! Thank you again! I'm really flattered!

* * *

Thanks to: 

**blue-genjutsu, ****Narutard Kiba, ****Kaikouken, ****DarkRavie, ****jureez maude, ****Kuso.Girl, ****Shounen-Ai, ****yhaio****Lunar Chasmodai****, KinkyPerfection, asukann****, LadyLiv, ****Minty Chinchilla, ****SylvanDreamer**

I love you all!

**-Tainted Dreams03**


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